Fated Destiny Book Three
by FatedWriter
Summary: In the year 2025 Chaldea Security Organization has completed the Second Grand Order postponing Humanities destruction yet again. With the second singularity completed, they still have more questions than answers. While new faces join Chaldea to bolster their cause, there are those among the organization who are plotting its downfall. Will the group uncover who is behind everything?
1. Chapter One

**Hey there! It's been awhile, but not as long as the last time you had to wait. Anyways, I'm finally back with Book Three of Fated Destiny for your consumption! I won't keep you as long as the other times, but before you skip on ahead to the chapter there are some important links and information that I want entailed. As always however, I want to direct you to the Artist of the beautiful cover Mulberry Art who can be found over on Deviant Art, Tumblr, and she even has a Paetron where you can donate to her. If you are new to Fated Destiny I would highly recommend you go to my profile and find Fated Destiny Book One and begin there, its as simple as a few easy clicks. One last thing however before I let you go, Fated Destiny Book Three will be updated from here on out every two weeks on Friday or Saturday. There may be a point where it is longer, but it doesn't mean I've abandoned the series it just means Its taking a bit longer than expected. If you want to remain up to date on Fated Destiny follow this story so you can be notified whenever a new chapter comes out, and if you enjoyed the story please leave me a like/favorite. If you REALLY want to know what's going on, hop on over to my Discord where you can talk about the story and Fate Grand Order, we even have channels for Azur Lane and Girls Frontline. Yes I play all of those too! To join my Discord just put in 5F2T7H7 to the invite link and you'll be set to go. So come on over once you finish reading this chapter! Lastly please Enjoy as always!**

**Chapter One**

**The Rocky Road Ahead**

* * *

Across the river of an old clock tower and down a cobblestone road sat an old manor that had the appearance of a small castle. It was surrounded by a black fence that wrapped around the entire property denying entry only to those who it allowed, very few people walked its streets. The Manor was far from the squabbling and power struggles of the Mages of the Clock Tower Elite. The people there kept their noses in their work and did not quarrel amongst each others. It was eerily quiet inside and on today the only sounds that could be heard were the pitter patter of the rain against the windows…

I heard the familiar click as the second to last driver pin clicked into place, meaning all that was left was the last pin and the door would be picked. I concentrated hard as I fiddled with the last pin to the door's lock, all that stood in the way of entry.

"Rin…. Should we really be doing this…?" A voice asked and I looked up at my blonde haired companion and lifelong friend Arturia Emiya. While Arturia had long ago cast aside her servant and knight past to become married to Shirou, she still acted overprotective, righteous, and acted upon the same strict code of chivalry she held in her previous life. "This seems extremely… illegal to be breaking into the office of a Director." Arturia muttered as she read off the name on the door.

"You were the one who insisted on coming along Arturia." I said while peering into the lock via magic. "You have a job to work and kids to look after, you didn't need to come along with me." I replied.

"Yes... well, I still feel compelled to look after you Rin." Arturia said glancing down at me. "Not only as your lifelong friend, but also as a former knight, even though I put that former life behind me! It is still my duty to protect you." Arturia said clenching her hand into a fist and raising it up to her chest, and that made me chuckle a little.

"Well Arturia…." I said just as the last satisfying click was heard indicating I had successfully clicked the last driver into place. "You can't break into a place of a dead man." I said standing up straight as I grabbed the door handle and pulled it back. Arturia only sighed and brought her hand up to her face and rubbed her eyes. "Now come along Arturia and let's do some investigating." I said with a coy smile, Arturia only sighed once more and walked up to me.

"I haven't seen you this energetic in at least twenty something odd years Rin." Arturia said with almost a smile.

"Yes well you could say I've never been this excited in years. Finally something interesting is happening." I said raising my hand up in front of the open door with an open palm. I closed my eyes for a moment and then there was a green pulse as I disbanded the bounded field of the office. "Geez for the Director of one of the departments this field was a joke." I thought to myself smiling, but then again it was going against the very best of mages, Rin Tohsaka. "Now come along now Arturia, the bounded field has been disabled." I said hurrying Arturia along inside, closing the door behind us.

Once we were inside, we were greeted by the strong aroma of old furniture and the dust made me want to gag. I rose my hand up to my mouth and waved my hand in the air for a few moments. Arturia walked over to the window in the corner of the room and grunted as she lifted up the window after a few jerks, letting some fresh air into the stale room. Outside we heard the rain pitter pattering against the building and after a few moments it became more bearable to breath. I took my hand down from my mouth and looked around, the office was filled with musty old furniture and the walls were lined with well stocked bookshelves. There was also a fireplace that had not seen use in a long time with two leather chairs with some books stacked on a nightstand. "Geez is this an office or a library?" I thought to myself, but then again it was nothing new for a Mages office to be stacked full of books. However we weren't here to admire his book collection, even though it was impressive. I stepped forward into his office and made my way towards his oak desk near another window. I grasped the rims of the top of another leather chair and pulled it out from behind the desk. I sat down in the chair and swiveled around to face forward where I placed my hands down on the desk and pulled back on one of the drawers. There was a rattle as the drawer didn't budge and I ruffled my eyebrows.

"Locked." I scoffed, but then again I wasn't surprised. It was only natural for a Director of a department or anybody for that matter to keep their stuff locked away. "I was prepared for this, but this was going to take awhile" I thought to myself as I cupped my chin.

"Rin." Arturia spoke up and I snapped out of my thoughts and faced her. "Rin, is it usual for Directors to keep a bounded field like that in their office, it is not like the bounded field at home or the one at your house. This bounded field had been intended to keep people out. It seems unusual for a Director who would expect students every now and again." Arturia said as she glanced around the room. I Intertwined my fingers and leaned forward on the desk.

"Hmm…" I muttered and remained quiet for a moment, Arturia turned her attention to me. "Well it's not that unusual for there to be a field around a mages home or places like his workshop, but usually those are just fields to sense when someone has entered or to provide some sort of benefit." I replied and faced Arturia once more. "But I suppose it's not unusual for someone who wants to hide something." I said and Arturia narrowed her eyes.

"I suppose…" Arturia said and trailed off for a moments. "But what do you suppose he is trying to hide?" Arturia said and cupped her chin. I only shrugged in reply.

"Who knows, maybe he was hiding magecraft or an artifact that he doesn't want anyone to find." I replied. "Or maybe he simply was a paranoid old man." I said and Arturia only narrowed her eyes further.

"From what I read that doesn't seem very likely." Arturia replied and another moment of silence went by. "Rin, I know that we already went over this on the plane and at the hotel room, but what do you intend to find here. If we find nothing and are caught…" Arturia said and I rose my hand and interrupted her.

"Arturia please relax." I said and Arturia was taken aback, but her shoulders untensed and her expression became softer. "Even if we are caught, it is unlikely they will arrest us or do anything except kindly escort us out. The people here aren't the kind of people who arrest trespassers or cause a quarrel." I said as I lowered my hand. "And as I said at the hotel room, we must follow every lead we can. Clock tower still has not uncovered anything in their year long investigation. I thought I'd give clock tower a chance, but it seems like they won't produce any results on their own, so I'm going to finally step in and take things into my own hands." I said. "I can not sit by any longer while Humanities very existence is at risk." I said and I saw Arturia's hand curl into a fist by her side.

"If only I was still a servant I could…." Arturia said looking down at the ground.

"You don't really mean that Arturia." I said and Arturia's face shot up as she looked at me in surprise. After a few moments Arturia facial expression became more normal.

"...No… No I don't." Arturia said as she looked off to the side. "Even though I feel obligated to try and save humanity… I don't regret giving it all up to marry Shirou. I love him, my children, and my new life." Arturia said turning to face me once more. A small smile formed on my lips as I chuckled which surprised her. "Rin what's so funny?"

"Oh it's nothing Arturia, I'm just surprised at how much you've changed." I said still smiling. I cleared my throat and regained my composure. "Think of it this way Arturia, even if you can no longer fight as a servant now that you're a normal human. You're helping save humanity by helping with this investigation." I said and then a soft smile formed on Arturia's lips.

"Yes, you're right!" Arturia said and nodded her head.

"Now then, let's go about opening these locked drawers and seeing what we can find." I said and Arturia nodded her head. "Check any other drawers you can find and look for anything out of…. The ordinary." I said as I pushed the chair back and got on my knees and began working on the lock…

Several Hours later

"Ugh!" I exclaimed as I slammed my hand down on the desk causing it to rattle and Arturia's head shot up from where she was sitting in one of the chairs in the fireplace. I brought my hands up to my head and ruffled my hair vigorously in frustration. I let out a disgruntled sigh and then looked around at all the stacks of paperwork and files we had gathered on top of the desk. Over by Arturia there were several more stacks of paperwork that she was also combing through. "We've been looking through all of these files for hours and there's nothing here except research notes and reports on his work here." I exclaimed in frustration.

"I too have not found anything major." Arturia said and I turned my attention towards her. "However there are some incredible reports here on his work, and while I am not very knowledgeable in magecraft as you or Shirou are, his research still fascinates me." Arturia said and a soft smile formed on her lips. "He was also an avid bird watcher and very interested in history it seems." Arturia said looking down at a page filled with sketches of birds and notes. "He must have had the perfect spot to observe birds from this window." Arturia said turning to look at the window where you could see the rain coming down.

"Well given this department, its no surprise it's Director was interested in History." I replied as I closed a folder and placed it off to the side as I tapped my fingers against the desk. I was sure that this would have been the best place to start, but so far nothing useful is here. I continued tapping against the desk as I thought.

"Rin, is it possible that Clock tower has already swept through this place and got anything valuable?" Arturia asked and I shook my head.

"No that wouldn't be possible, according to my sources in Clock tower their main focus has been elsewhere." I said scratching my cheek. I heard Arturia snap her folder shut and place it down on the stack of folders.

"What shall we do now Rin? It's been a few hours now and it's almost lunch time." Arturia said and stood up.

"We keep searching through the files, there has to be something." I said and I heard Arturia sigh. Arturia walked over to the window and watched as the raindrops trickled down the window.

"Rin do you think the Second Order has begun?" Arturia asked as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Hmm I'm not sure, I don't have any sources in their organization. All I know is what he told me and that was only about the First Order." I replied intertwining my fingers and turning in my chair to face Arturia. "I imagine it will be sometime this year, he did say the chance only happens once per year." I added and crossed my legs.

"I see…" Arturia said as she gripped her arm tightly. "... Do you think they will be able to pull through a second Grail War?" Arturia said still looking outside.

"Well they were able to survive the First Order which was set in our Grail war back in 2004, so they must be somewhat talented or very lucky." I replied.

"Did the Man seem like a competent Mage?" Arturia asked next.

"It's hard to tell. I don't know his last name so I don't know if he comes from a Prominent mage family with powerful circuits." I said and sighed thinking back to my encounter with him in the alleyway. "However assuming he isn't from a Mage family, they likely trained him in the necessary magecraft. I've heard that their training programs are quite rigorous and can be downright brutal depending on the instructors… They pull in the best mage instructors from around the world." I said closing my eyes.

"What about his Servant?" Arturia asked. "There was a woman with him at Clock tower and while I couldn't read her, she gave off a very calm and composed demeanor." Arturia went on. "She also had a very cold demeanor, I could read no body language or signs of aggression even when she saw me. She almost seemed inanimate in a way, even though she talked. When she did speak it was in a hushed tone that I was unable to hear, so I do not know if there was any accent that might have given off her origins." Arturia muttered with a sigh.

"You are correct Arturia she was indeed a Servant, however all I know is that she likely is a Lancer class servant." I said as I opened my eyes and Arturia glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes. "Other than that I do not know." I added.

"Well if she is one of the top three knight classes, then there is a chance they'll pull through." Arturia said as she closed her eyes and then promptly opened them after a second and turned to face me with her hands on her hips with a smile on her lips. "Enough of this somber talk, let's continue searching shall we!" Arturia exclaimed.

"Yes lets!" I said nodding my head with a smile which Arturia returned affectionately.

Suddenly there was a creaking noise coming from the doorway.

"Lev are you there?"

Both Arturia and I's attention snapped towards the door as it was pushed open. "Damn it I thought I locked it!" I thought to myself as I prepared to duck behind the desk. However it was too late as the door opened and revealed a woman in a long green dress with black stockings that went up to her thighs. She wore a pair of glasses on her face that covered her hazel brown eyes and she had reddish brown hair that she had in a ponytail. The woman had a surprised look on her face as she saw us standing in the office.

"Who are you!" I blurted out without thinking. The woman's expression turned to a neutral one and a soft smile formed on her lips.

"I was just about to ask you that." The woman replied without any hostility in her voice. "Last I talked to Lev, he was still a man not a woman. So then perhaps are you some of his students?" The woman asked. My mind raced as I thought how to answer.

"I asked first!" I replied and the woman chuckled as she adjusted her glasses up onto her face.

"Very well then I am Touko Aozaki." Touko Aozaki said with a subtle bow. "Well now that I've told you my name it's only fair that you tell me yours, No?" Touko Aozaki said and Arturia glanced at me and I nodded my head at her.

"I am Arturia Emyia." Arturia said placing her hand on her chest, her voice filled with pride as she introduced herself. Touko Aozaki smirked and then turned her attention towards me.

"I am Rin Tohsaka." I said as I crossed my arms across my chest. "I've heard of you Ms. Aozaki, Lord El-Melloi II has mentioned you before. However you are a lot younger looking than I imagined." I said and Touko chuckled.

"Lord El-Melloi II is talking about me behind my back is he?" Touko said cheekily with a smile on her face. "Rin Tohsaka, now that's a name I've heard before. While we've never met your name is well known throughout the world of magecraft, specifically in Japan. You've made quite a name for yourself Ms. Tohsaka." Touko said.

"Thank you Ms. Aozaki, while your sister is the head of your family. Most know you are the true genius in your family." I replied.

"Ah well I've given up my spat with my sister a long time ago, so there's no bad blood between me and her." Touko replied truthfully. "More importantly I did not think I was important enough for people to be talking about me, I've kept my head down in Japan." Touko said.

"Surely you jest Ms. Aozaki." I said. "Your adventures in Europe and your mischief behavior hardly are unnoticed by clock tower. Given that they gave you a sealing designation. " I said as I intertwine my fingers.

"Ah well you got me there." Touko said raising her hand up to her head embarrassed. "Anyway while I don't keep up with world affairs much, I know enough to know that your friend is the Japanese Ambassador to the UN's wife. That's practically like royalty." Touko said glancing at Arturia. I couldn't help but crack a small smile, if only she knew she was talking to King Arthur of Britain. However no one needed to know that except for myself and Shirou.

"Yes what you say is true. I am the wife of Shirou Emyia, Ambassador to the UN." Arturia replied. "You'll have to forgive me as I have never heard of your name." Arturia added.

"No that's fine, people not knowing my name is a compliment. Like I said I like to keep my head down." Touko said. "But you know, it's hardly dignified for an Ambassador's wife to be sneaking around. What would the British Papers think about that if word got out." Touko said coyly and Arturia narrowed her eyebrows.

"How dare you! We're not sneaking around! We're investigating!" Arturia exclaimed and then quickly rose her hand to her mouth. I rubbed my temples as Arturia sent me a look of apology. Touko raised an eyebrow and turned her attention to me.

"Investigating? Investigating what exactly Ms. Tohsaka?" Touko inquired.

"It's a private matter." I replied. "More importantly what are you doing here?" I asked and Touko looked like she just realized something and any sign of her humorous self disappeared.

"Well I came to pay Lev a visit, Lev is an old friend of mine. We were classmates, he and I went to the Mage Association together." Touko said with a tone of seriousness. "I haven't seen Lev in at least 20 something odd years, and I figured I would stop by and visit him." Touko said and looked around. "So where is Lev? I would very much like to talk to him. I hear in the past decade he has produced some very interesting research that I'd like to talk about with him in great detail." Touko said. Arturia and I glanced at one another nervously and then back at Touko Aozaki. I took a deep breath and I decided to be the one to break the news to her.

"Ms. Aozaki Lev is… Lev is dead." I managed to spit out after a moment. Instead of shock or tears there was only a brief glimmer in Touko's eyes.

"I…. I see. Perhaps we should sit down…" Touko said raising her hand up to her head as she stepped in and closed the door behind her.

The sound of boiling water was followed by a hiss as steam escaped from a kettle on top of a hotplate. Touko lifted the kettle off of the hotplate and poured hot water into three teacups with tea bags in them. After Touko placed the kettle back down on the hotplate, she lifted the tray with the teacups over to where Arturia and I were sitting and placed the tray on the table in front of us. Arturia and I took the teacups and gave her our thanks as we stirred the tea and Arturia added several sugar cubes into her cup. Touko sat across from us in one of the leather chairs and she crossed her legs as she removed her gloves and lifted the last teacup up from the tray. We sat in eerie silence for a few moments with the only sounds the continued rain outside and the simmering of the kettle on the hotplate.

"So Lev is dead you say." Touko finally said after a few minutes as she looked down into her tea while stirring it.

"Yes I'm afraid so. I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you." I said trying to take into account what she might be going through after learning one of her friends died, however Touko seemed to be concealing her emotions quite well.

"It's alright." Touko replied.

"How well did you know Lev?" I inquired after Touko took a sip from her tea.

"Well it is as I said, Lev and I were classmates in the Mages Association. While I suppose it wasn't your typical friendship, Lev said that he considered me a close friend. Which was an achievement in itself given that Lev didn't talk to very many people." Touko said placing her teacup down on the platter. "I considered Lev a good friend. We sent each other letters occasionally, but we weren't in constant communication. Which was fine for both of us as we were extremely focused on our work, I know how important Lev's research was too him so I didn't like to bother him." Touko said placing her hands in her lap.

"When was the last time you were in contact with him?" I inquired and Touko stared at me for a moments as she appeared to be in thought.

"The last time I talked to Lev was after I left the Mages Association, which I know saddened Lev. That was in the 90's, so quite a long time ago. However the last time I was in contact with him was 2017. He sent me a letter informing me that he had been working a job since 1999 and was resigning from his post in Clock tower." Touko said.

"Wait, if you knew he had resigned from his post here. Why'd you come here?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well you know how it is. He still has his office here, and for a place like this time might as well be standing still. They haven't even emptied his office, so I thought perhaps he might stop by here occasionally and I could catch him, if not I had planned on probing one of the people here to see if I could find out where he was." Touko explained. "That and this was where I use to work when I was in the Mages Association." Touko added.

"I see." I said as I rubbed the brim of my teacup.

"So what is your connection to Lev, Ms. Tohsaka? How did you know him?" Touko inquired as I took another sip from my teacup.

"To be honest with you Ms. Aozaki I've never met Professor Lev." I said truthfully.

"Then how did you know him?" Touko asked as she raised an eyebrow at me.

"An associate of mine was his coworker." I replied.

"AND this associate of yours knew Lev?" Touko asked and I nodded my head. "So what does Lev and this co-worker have to do with you? You said you were investigating. What are you investigating? His death? If you have no connection to him why would his death be of any your concern. More importantly how did Lev die? Who was he working for since you know his co-worker?" Touko said and I placed the teacup onto the platter as I crossed my arms across my chest and crossed my legs.

"Those are a lot of questions, let's just start with one and move onto the others one by one." I said as I placed my hands in my lap. Touko nodded her head hesitantly and we stared at one another for a moment before I spoke up. "Have you heard of Chaldea Security Organization?" Touko's eyes narrowed at me once I said that name.

"I've heard rumors about Chaldea." Touko said after a moment. "From what I understand they are a powerful organization with deep pockets and even have a private military." Touko said. "However those are just the rumors I've heard, as I've said I've mostly been out of the loop of world affairs and the mage world." Touko added.

"Well the rumors are true." I said before continuing. "Chaldea is an organization funded in large part by the Aminsuphere family and they get the rest of their funding from private investors, Governments, The Mages Association, and the UN." I said and I saw another flicker in Touko's eyes. "Now you're probably wondering what they have to do with this…." I said and Touko interlocked her fingers and rested her head on her hands as she listened on the edge of her seat. "The Job Professor Lev spoke to you about was building the Shiva Lens or the Near Future Observation Lens at Chaldea, he was the lead Technician and researcher there." I said. "Shiva allows Chaldea to observe the past and future of humanity to some relative degree of accuracy to try and predict or foresee changes in the past or future that would drastically change or bring about the collapse of humanity. There have been several anomalies Chaldea has detected in our past forcing them to take action and go back in time and correct them…." I said before I was abruptly cut off.

"Wait, Wait you're telling me that Chaldea has the ability to time travel and they've been going back in time to stop incidents that would bring about our collapse?" Touko said as she rapidly blinked her eyes.

"That is correct." I said.

"How many of these anomalies are there?" Touko inquired.

"I do not know, my acquaintance did not tell me. All I do know is there was an anomaly in 2004 during the Fifth Holy Grail War that they recently went back in time and corrected." I said as I gripped my hands tightly and Touko's eyes flickered a little at the mention of Grail Wars. "If they had not corrected it we would not be sitting here speaking." I said. "Or so I imagine." I added.

"How long does Humanity have until our destruction?" Touko asked calmly.

"I believe we have until 2032." I replied and Touko leaned back in her chair and gripped the arms.

"So our only hope lies in Chaldea Security Organization." Touko said staring at the empty fireplace. "You still haven't answered my question about how Lev Died…" Touko said as she turned her head to face me. I felt my hands grow sweaty and my throat had gone dry, but I had to get the words out.

"... Lev…. To the best of my knowledge Lev was killed in an explosion during an attack on Chaldea Security Organization." I said. "Someone attacked Chaldea during their first rayshift back to the first singularity, or First Order as they call them, but Lev was caught up in an explosion in the Server Rooms." I said and for the first time in our conversation Touko's expression showed some emotion. Touko's face was washed over with sadness, but then her sadness disappeared and turned to anger as she smashed her hands down on the arm of the chair and then brought them up to her head where she ruffled her hair.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! RARGGHH!" Touko repeated over and over as she brought her head down into her lap and Arturia and I glanced at one another and then back in Touko.

"Ms. Aozaki are you alright?" Arturia said as she leaned forward and placed her hand on Touko's shoulder. There was a long silence that broke out in the room as Arturia rubbed Touko's shoulder counseling her and I glanced out the window watching the rain fall.

A few minutes later.

"Damn it…." Touko murmured and my attention turned back to her. Touko lifted her head and revealed her face, that had turned a deep shade of red and her eyes were puffy. Touko sniffled and Arturia offered her a handkerchief, Touko accepted it and rubbed her eyes and then her nose before returning it to Arturia.

"Ms. Aozaki?" Arturia murmured.

"I'm fine... Really." Touko said as she leaned back in her chair. "I'm just angry at myself that I never bothered to visit Lev, there was always so much he told me he wanted to discuss with me in person and I was one of his only friends." Touko explained. "I always put off visiting him because I was so busy in Japan, but if only I had visited him early then perhaps we could have discussed in great length about his research or perhaps even predicted this whole mess sooner." Touko said with a sigh. "It's ironic really, Lev built a machine to observe the future and save humanity, but it couldn't help him observe that his own death would happen…." Touko said. "... But maybe he knew his death was going to happen and he just accepted his Destiny…. No I can't believe that. Lev wouldn't accept the Destiny of Humanity being destroyed so why would he accept his own Destiny of being killed?" Touko muttered as she rocked her head side to side.

"From what I know Shiva can observe incidents to that level." I said trying to give some sort of console to her.

"You're probably right, but still…." Touko muttered and then all of a sudden she hit her fist against her forehead. "The worst thing about all of this is that my stupid stupid sister had stopped by Levs office, and she asked Lev if SHE COULD BORROW SOME MONEY!" Touko exclaimed as she once more gripped the sides of her head in frustration. "To think that the last thing encounter Lev ever had with an Aozaki was my stupid sister asking him to lend her money! UGH!" Touko exclaimed and Arturia and I glanced at each other once more as we watched Touko pull on her hair. After several more minutes Touko finally calmed down and had returned to her somewhat normal self.

"I'm sorry that you had to see that, but it really pains me that my sister was the last Aozaki my friend Lev talked with, and that was the last memory he ever had with an Aozaki." Touko said as she brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"It's quite alright Ms. Aozaki." I said sympathetically.

"Ahem. So you mentioned you were investigating." Touko said clearing her throat. "Are you investigating on Chaldea's behalf?" Touko asked and I shook my head.

"No we're do this on our own behalf…" I answered.

"I see, so what are you investigating? Lev's death?" Touko inquired further.

"Well not exactly. We aren't directly investigating Lev's death, but Lev's death was part of the attack so…." I said.

"... So since Lev's death was part of the attack you're seeing if he maybe knew someone who might have had it out for him or if he was just collateral damage." Touko picked off where I left off as she tapped her fingers together.

"Well it's something like that." I said. "We want to see if Lev knew anything or suspected anyone was carrying out an attack. If we can find out if anyone had it out for Lev or if Lev suspected anyone, we can form some sort of suspect list." I said leaning forward in my chair. "Clock tower is following dead ends and Lev is one of the only people who we know of who worked at Chaldea and at the same time had residence or an office outside of Chaldea. So I figured if Lev knew anything he would keep it here and not in Chaldea." I explained.

"I see." Touko said as she pushed her glasses up on her face and crossed her arms.

"And in doing so we can find out who attacked Chaldea and who is trying to stop them from going back in time and solving the singularities. It's a long shot, but it's one of the only leads we have right now." I said. "Lev had to know something, he was their lead engineer and researcher. He was vital to Chaldea and their research, so Ms. Aozaki is there anyone you know of who would want to kill Lev or stop his work?" I asked and Touko narrowed her eyes for a moment as she thought.

"...No I can't think of anyone who would want to kill Lev." Touko replied after a moment. "I know that's what they always say, but Lev truly never had any enemies. He always kept to himself and never pursued rivalries or was interested in increasing his power, he was solely focused on his research." Touko said and I cupped my chin in frustration. "Damn it, if no one wanted to kill Lev then he must have just been collateral damage." I thought to myself as I bit down on my thumb. "He dedicated his life to safeguarding humanity." Touko added.

"... Does Professor Lev have any family? Parents? Siblings?" I asked looking up at Touko.

"No not that I'm aware of. Lev's parents died a long time ago and he has no brothers or sisters, nor did Lev seem to have interest in things like Love so I doubt he had a lover." Touko answered. I began scratching my head furiously. "Is Lev really going to be a dead end too?" I thought to myself annoyed.

"Did Lev ever mention anything to you in his letters? Anything strange at all?" I inquired sitting on the edge of my seat. Touko rubbed the back of her neck as she thought for another moment.

"Not to the best of my recollection." Touko replied.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed out loud as I smashed my hand on the arm of my chair. A sharp pain shot through the side of my hand as soon as I did and I retracted it quickly and whimpered as I looked over the bruise.

"Rin are you alright?" Arturia asked concerned as she snapped to face me.

"I-I'm fine! It's just a little bruise." I murmured as I rubbed my hand. Arturia sighed and then turned to face Touko.

"Ms. Aozaki if I may be so bold to ask you for assistance. As you can see Rin and I have come up empty searching through Professor Lev's office." Arturia inquired and Touko faced Arturia and remained silent for a moment.

"Yes it's the least I can do, Lev was murdered and if I can help you find the man behind the attack then I will." Touko said and I was surprised by her answer.

"Thank you Ms. Aozaki, it means a great deal to us." Arturia said and Touko nodded her head in understanding. "So what should we do now Rin?" Arturia asked turning to me.

"Well the best thing we can do now is continue searching through the office." I replied after a moment.

"Right." Arturia and Touko said in unison as they nodded their heads.

"Ugh! We still haven't found anything!" I murmur as I slam another book shut and placed it down on the stack of books building beneath the bookshelf. Arturia, Touko, and I had been searching Lev's office for at least another hour and we had still yet to find anything that might assist us in finding out who attacked Chaldea. I scanned the room and saw Touko going through a book on the other side of the room, my gaze drifted towards Arturia where I saw her gazing up at a painting above the fireplace. I navigated my way through the mess of book stacks scattered throughout the room and over to where she was standing. "Arturia what are you doing? We don't have time to be examining the tapestry!" I exclaimed as I placed my hand on her shoulder. Arturia seemed to ignore me as she intensely focused on the painting above the fireplace.

"Rin there is something off about this painting…." Arturia said as she cupped her chin.

"Huh?" Was what left my mouth as I looked up at the painting and examined it alongside of Arturia. The painting that hung above the fireplace had several knights wearing British coat of arms. The Seven Knights were all gathered around a Golden chalice that appeared to be none other than the Holy Grail. Of course this was intended to look like the real Holy Grail that held Jesus Christ's blood, not the fake one forged by the Einzbern family and the one Saber Destroyed in the Holy Grail War. Looking at Artruia's face told me that something was bothering her.

"Arturia?" I murmured her name trying to get my friends attention. Arturia was holding her chin as she stared intently at the painting. We stood there in silence for a few moments as we stared at the painting. Then after a few more moments passed the silence was broken.

"This is all wrong! This painting is wrong!" Arturia exclaimed and I was taken aback by her sudden outburst. "I never found the Holy Grail in my past life! This painting is painting a scene that never happened!" Arturia said and I was confused for a moment until I squinted my eyes and saw in small white letterings in the corner of the painting it read: Arthurian Legend.

"W-Well Arturia, there are several different versions. For example King Arthur is a man in that picture..." I said just before Arturia cut me off.

"I've already come to accept that most people think that I was a man in life, but I think that paintings betraying that my men and I found the Holy Grail are a disservice to History itself." Arturia said as she leaned up on her tippy toes reaching for the painting.

"Wait No Arturia! Don't mess with the painting! We aren't here to mess around with the decor!" I exclaimed, but Arturia had already reached up and grasped the corners of the painting and she began to tug on it. However the painting did not see to budge as much Arturia pulled on it, giving rise to confuse in Arturia.

"Huh? Why is this painting so firmly attached?" Arturia muttered as she felt around the sides of the painting.

"It could mean that painting is important so you should leave it alon….." I said and just before I could finish there was a loud click heard and the painting swung forward. The three of us watched in anticipation as the painting swung forward, once it had swung fully forward it revealed that there was a green wall safe behind it.

"Are you kidding me! We've been searching this whole time and something was hidden somewhere as simple as behind a painting!" I exclaimed as I rubbed my head furiously in annoyance that I had missed something so simple. I heard Arturia chuckle in amusement and out of the corner of my eye I saw Touko cupping her chin as she stared at the safe in the wall. I returned my gaze to the safe as well. There was nothing too out of the ordinary about this safe except it was an older looking safe and had none of the appearances of a modern safe. This safe however did have an odd looking mechanism on it, I leaned forward to examine it.

"That's a little strange…" I muttered and Arturia tilted her head in confusion. "The Locking mechanism, it appears as if it requires some kind of key." I said as I extended my hand out towards the safe.

"Wait Rin!" Arturia exclaimed as she grabbed my hand and I looked at her taken back. "It could be booby trapped! Please Rin be careful!" Arturia said as she let go of my hand and I retracted it before looking back at the safe. Arturia was right, I hadn't even checked to see if it was rigged or cursed. I had been careless.

"Sorry Arturia I guess I had gotten carried away." I said as I reached behind my head and rubbed it. "We've just been searching for something for so long and we finally found something." I said and Arturia nodded her head with an understanding smile.

"Well we shouldn't get too excited, for all we know this is where Lev keeps research documents or his Bird Watching pictures." Touko warned us. I knew she could be right, but a part of me was holding out hope. I reached out my hand towards the safe, opening my palm as I did. As my fingers extended towards the lock on the safe, a shock went through my hand and I retracted it towards my chest.

"Rin are you alright!" Arturia exclaimed as she placed her hand on my shoulder and I nodded my head in affirmation.

"I tried to open the lock using magic, but there's a powerful spell keeping me from doing so." I said as I raised my hand up to my head. "I'll give it another go…" I said as I outreached my hand towards the lock. Closing my eyes I focused my magic on trying to overcome the spell. I gritted my teeth Electric shocks ran through my fingertips and branched out throughout my body. "Ah this doesn't make any sense!" I exclaimed angrily as I pulled my hand back. "The bounded field was a cakewalk, but this spell is something on a completely different level." I said and I heard Touko chuckle.

"You shouldn't underestimate Lev, he was quite a powerful Mage." Touko said looking almost amused. I ruffled my eyebrows at her and this only made her chuckle more.

"Instead of laughing, why don't you help us out and give a go at the lock." I said irritated. Touko looked at me and then up at the lock placing her hands on her hips.

"I did say I would help you guys didn't I, so calm down." Touko said as she reached her hand out towards the lock. Touko closed her eyes as her fingertips touched the lock of the safe. Red sparks emitted once her fingertips made contact and Touko grimaced as she made contact and over the course of several minutes Touko's deep concentration resulted in Touko retracting her fingers back to her chest.

"Whatever is in there, Lev really doesn't want anyone to get in there." Touko said as she shook her hand as it looked like smoke was rising from the tips of her fingers. "I can't even break that spell over the lock." Touko said looking back at us. I glanced at Arturia and she glanced at me nervously.

"Well it doesn't matter, we're already this far so we can't give up now." I exclaimed shaking my fist in front of me. Arturia was taken aback slightly but nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes Rin is right, we need to find out what is in there." Arturia said as she directed her attention back to the lock. "It looks as if this requires some sort of key to open, if we can't open it by magecraft we'll need to find the key." Arturia said as she rubbed her chin.

"Ugh! Who knows where that could be!" I exclaimed as I ruffled my hair frantically. It was then when I felt Arturia's hand on my shoulder once again and I looked over to see Arturia giving me a calm reassuring smile.

"Rin do not let something like this cause distraught, this key must be somewhere." Arturia said. "Like you said we've come too far." Arturia added and I nodded my head. I turned my attention back towards the Touko who was examining the safe. "Ms. Aozaki you knew Lev, do you have any idea where he could have kept any keys or personal belongings?" I asked and Touko snapped her attention towards me. Touko brought her hand up to her neck and rubbed it as she seemed to be thinking.

"Well I don't know where he might have put anything personal." Touko said. "However Lev did spend a lot of time in his books, perhaps he hid the key in one of these books?" Touko suggested and I felt a sweat drop form on my head.

"In… one of…. These hundreds of books…. You mean." I said with a deep sigh and rubbed my temples for a few moments. "Do you know what Professor Lev's favorite books were?" I asked and once again Touko rubbed her neck in thought.

"Ummm well Lev liked a lot of different books from what I remember." Touko said, which did not build a lot of confidence nor did it help us. "Wait I think one of Lev's favorite books was the Tale of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Touko said snapping her fingers.

"Right then! Let's scour the book shelves and find the book!" I exclaimed with my fist raised.

Twenty minutes later

"I found it!" Arturia exclaimed. Touko and myself snap around and face Arturia who is getting up from by one of the chairs. Arturia waved the book amusingly in front of her.

"What?! Are you kidding me? It was underneath one of the chairs this whole time!" I said and then shook my head. "No it doesn't matter where it was, now that we found it we should be able to find the key!" I thought to myself and Touko and I rushed over to Arturia. "Well what are you waiting for Arturia! Flip through the pages or just dangle the book until the key falls out!" I exclaimed and Arturia nodded her head. Arturia opened the book and hurried through the pages as we stood over her in anticipation. A ray of black lines swept over our face as Arturia reached the last page and no key had been found.

"What?!" I exclaimed and grasped the book holding it upside down dangling the pages over the ground. I shook it vigorously but nothing came out of it except for maybe some dust. I wanted to fall down to my knees in defeat after finding no key. Behind me I heard Arturia's footsteps as she walked towards the safe. I placed the book down on the table next to the chair and I sunk down to my knees.

"Rin there's something on this safe, come over here for a moment." Arturia said and I pulled myself up off of the chair and walked over to where Arturia was and looked up at the safe. "There Rin, its a number. Its 72:1." Arturia said pointing at a small pair of numbers located in the middle of the safe at the bottom.

"72:1 what could that be?" I thought to myself as I cupped my chin. Touko walked over and stared intently into the numbers. "Could 72:1 mean a ratio? Or perhaps…. It is 1:27 printed backwards, 1:27 as in time?" I murmured and I looked around the room. My eyes scanned the room and it was then when they stopped on the Grandfather clock. I rushed over to it and pulled back the glass cover on the clock. Arturia and Touko watched as I pulled the hands of the clock until they lined up with 1:27 and then…

"Eh? Nothing happened!" I exclaimed as I looked on in dismay at the clock. Nothing had happened after I had changed the hands to 1:27, nothing at all. "This is really starting to get on my nerves!" I thought to myself and I looked around the room in a frantic search for another clock, but sadly to my dismay once again. There was no other clock in the room except for the one I was currently standing in front of. I rested my head against the glass of the clocks lower half and let out an irritated sigh.

"Rin…" Arturia said and I pushed myself up straight and turned around and faced Arturia. "72:1 is not a time nor is it a ratio, instead it is a verse out of the old testament." Arturia said and her words hit me like a two ton truck as I smacked myself in the forehead with the palm of my hand.

"Oof! How could I be so dense to not think of that first!" I said feeling quite stupid as I smack my forehead. "Arturia do you know what the verse is?" I asked and Arturia nodded her head affirmatively.

"Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king's son." Arturia said and a sweat drop formed on Touko and I's head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked scratching the back of my head.

"It is referring to King Solomon of Israel, it is when Solomon asked God to bless him with the monarchy of Israel, wise judgements, and a reign displaying God's righteousness. God was impressed by Solomon's request for wisdom and so he granted his request." Arturia said and Touko crossed her arms.

"Wow Mrs. Emiya I'm impressed that you can recite verses off the top of your head. Are you a very religious person or do you study religion?" Touko said looking impressed.

"Thank you Ms. Aozaki… You could just say that I am…. Well read in the bible." Arturia said. Most likely she was referring to her time in her past life when she no doubt studied and read Bible in her studies leading up to becoming the King of Britain.

"But what does King Solomon have to do with finding the key? If it has anything to do with the key at all? For all we know it's just like some number that the people who installed the safe put on their safe." I said as I cup my chin. Arturia looked back over her shoulder and then shook her head at me.

"No I believe it is referring to that verse. I am sure of it!" Arturia said raising her fist up in front of her.

"Well alright, but we still don't know what the reference to Solomon means?" I said. A low hmm left Touko's mouth and I faced her, Touko was once again deep in thought as she had her chin in her hand.

"It could be referring to a book that King Solomon is in." Arturia suggested.

"Well how many books are King Solomon in?" I asked. Dreading the answer, given that he was a religious figure there could be hundreds.

"Well he is mentioned several times in the old testament so perhaps the key is in a bible?" Arturia suggested.

"Maybe… Just Maybe…. I think It could… I think It could be a referring to a book that I know Lev read." Touko said looking up at us. Touko strided past us towards one of the book shelves. Touko pulled out a white book out of the shelve and turned around to face us. "Lev would occasionally read the "Lesser Key of Solomon"" Touko said holding up the book that read Lesser Key of Solomon on the cover.

"What's that about?" I asked.

"The Lesser Key of Solomon is a grimoire on the study of demonology." Touko said. "You're probably asking what that has to do with King Solomon." Touko said and the two of us nodded our heads. "The Lesser Key of Solomon is about the Seventy Two Demon Gods that King Solomon summoned as his familiars." Touko said adjusting her glasses up onto her face feeling proud of herself for remembering.

"What was Lev reading a book about Demons for?" I asked.

"Well Ms. Tohsaka as you perhaps might know, King Solomon was considered the King of Magic. So Lev told me that he studied the book to see if he could learn anything about the magic employed by Solomon. Sadly he reported that this book did not provide anything useful." Touko said shrugging.

"Merlin always told me he was the King of Magic…" Arturia seemed to mutter under her breath.

"Well open the book already and let's see if the key is in there!" I exclaimed. Touko nodded her head and the three of us stood over the book as Touko lifted the cover. Once the cover was flipped back, what was inside was a hollowed out inside with a black key resting in a cushion. "Yes Jackpot!" I exclaimed as I grasped the key and hurried over to the safe. I pushed the key into the keyhole and twisted the key. A satisfactory click told me that it had been the right key. "It better have been the right key, otherwise I was going to blow this safe door open." I thought to myself as I twisted the handle and pulled the door back. The three of us gazed inside the safe wide eyed and found a brown journal and several folders. I reached inside and grasped the journal pulling it out.

Folder in hand we turned around and walked over to the desk and took a seat. Touko placed the folders on the desk and I grasped the edge of the folder and flipped it open in anticipation of what I might find….


	2. Chapter Two No Rest For The Weary

**Chapter Two**

**No Rest For The Weary**

* * *

The sound of boots clicking echoed throughout the halls. The short brown boots of a young girl emitted clicks with every step she took down the white spotless hallway. The young girl continued down the hallway with its white walling and white floors that had a hospital like vibe to them. After a few moments of walking she passed a large black logo painted onto the wall as the hallway curved and lead off in another direction. As the young girl passed the logo, words revealed themselves reading "Chaldea Security Organization." Once the young girl turned around the bend she continued forward down the hall. Light creeped through large windows that lined the hallway she had entered, each evenly split apart going up to the ceiling, however as the young girl looked outside it was revealed that there was no sun in the sky only clouds filled the sky as a snowstorm raged outside. A frown formed on the young girls lips and a sigh escaped from her lips, before she continued on down the hallway. Several more minutes passed before the young girl came to a stop in front of one of many doors, the girl looked to the side and placed her hand on a panel next to the door. The door swooshed open granting her access as she stepped inside…

"Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed as she entered the room and placed her hand on a panel next to the door causing the lights to flash on, illuminating the room. The sound of Mashu's boots clicking drew closer until I felt her hand on my shoulder as she vigorously shook it. "Senpai come on! The Director wishes to speak to you!" Mashu said. I grunted and pulled the sheets over my head as I ducked under the covers and snuggled my head into my pillow.

"No. Go away Mashu." I murmured from underneath the covers.

"Senpai…. The Director says she really really needs to speak to you." Mashu asserted.

"Tell her I'll talk to her tomorrow." I groaned as I wrapped my arms around my pillow. I heard a sigh escape Mashu's lips and her hand once again rested on my shoulders as she pulled the sheets back and I winced at the blinding light flooding my eyes. I turned my back to Mashu and burrowed my face into my pillow closing my eyes once more.

"Senpai you can't keep putting off the Director, you've been cooped up in here for Four Days since we returned from the Singularity. You're starting to be like Scathach who holds up in the bedroom all year long…" Mashu said as she placed her hand on my shoulder.

"What was that?" An irritated voice came from the corner of the room and Mashu's head snapped to where the voice had come from. Sitting in the corner of the room in a reading chair was the crimson headed Scotswoman.

"Oh Scathach! I didn't notice you when I walked in!" Mashu exclaimed fearfully as she raised her hand up. "I apologize! Please I didn't mean anything by what I said! I just was saying Senpai has been hold up in here for awhile…." Mashu said nervously as she reached behind and rubbed the back of her head. Scathach narrowed her crimson eyes at Mashu not convinced, but eventually returned her gaze downwards to the book in her lap and flipped a page over in her book. Scathach crossed her legs in her brown reading chair and her toes rubbed against one another inside of her black leggings.

"I wouldn't waste your breath Mashu, he refuses to get out of bed unless its to use the restroom or eat…" Scathach said as her eyes darted from line to line in her book. Mashu ruffled her eyebrows and turned her attention back to me as I felt her hand on my shoulder once more.

"Senpai come on, you can't lay in bed forever." Mashu murmured.

"It's not forever." I replied. "It's just until I'm ready to get out of bed. I've spent the past week getting shot at, stabbed at, burned, walking, and hardly getting any sleep. I deserve this rest alright." I said grunting as I pulled the covers over my head once more. There was a heavy sigh this time from Mashu's lips and I laid there in the darkness of my covers.

"The Director said you would say that. So she told me that if you don't get out of bed and go talk to her today she'll pump your room full of nerve gas as you sleep so you'll end up sleeping forever." Mashu said reciting what the director had told her.

"Ugh!" I groaned loudly. I threw the sheets over my head and rubbed my eyes as I sheepishly sat up in bed. "Do you think the Director was being serious?" I asked sending Mashu a quick glance.

"She seemed serious." Mashu replied and I groaned once more.

"Of course she's serious, the Director is always serious." I said rubbing my forehead. "So vicious she'd gas her own employee in his sleep." I said and swung around in my bed and scooted forward to the edge and slipped into my shoes. Mashu let out a chuckle as she stood over me and I looked up at her. Blinding light came from behind Mashu's head and I rose my hand up to my face as my eyes adjusted to the light.

"Haha that's the Director for you, cruel as always." Mashu said and I brought my hand up to my mouth as I yawned.

"I liked when I had to answer to Anderson instead of the Director, I don't know how you've dealt with her all this time." I said as I stretched my arms out over my head.

"Oh well I've managed, mostly by staying on her good side." Mashu said as she put her hands behind her back.

"Hey I stay on her good side, if anybody gets on her bad side its Roman, yet somehow he's still alive and the Head Doctor at that." I said and Mashu let out another chuckle.

"Romani keeps his head down for the most part, but the Director can't afford to fire him." Mashu said. "He is a very talented Doctor and Mage so it would be foolish for the Director to fire him." Mashu said as I rubbed my wrist.

"Yeah I know." I said thinking back for a moment. "Roman has patched me up more times than I can count Mashu." I said looking back up at Mashu. Mashu smiled at me and nodded her head. "Anyway I guess I best get going Mashu." I said standing up and walked over to a chair where my suit jacket was resting. Picking it up. I walked over to the door with Mashu accompanying me as I slid into my jacket and I stopped in front of the door buttoning up. I turned and faced Mashu as I pressed a button on the panel next to the door that caused it to swoosh up.

"Where is Jeanne currently at?" I asked as I buttoned up my collar. Mashu rose a finger up to her chin and thought for a moment, she then rose her wrist up and pulled back her sleeve to look at her digital watch.

"Well I haven't seen Jeanne, but I believe she's currently at Chaldea's chapel right now praying as she always does at this time. She prays there every morning." Mashu said as her arm returned to her side.

"Alright I haven't seen Jeanne since we got back so I'll stop in and check on her after my meeting with the Director." I said rubbing my shoulder instinctively where Jeanne's command seal currently was.

"Shall I accompany you to the Director's office Senpai?" Mashu asked and I shook my head.

"No Thank you Mashu that won't be needed." I said and a look of disappointment swept over Mashu's face. "But please if you could get me a coffee, I'll meet you in the cafeteria." I said and Mashu's face lit up.

"Okay Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed. "I'll be waiting for you! You better not forget about me!" Mashu said raising her hands up in a fist.

"Haha I won't forget Mashu. As soon as I finish speaking with the Director and check on Jeanne I shall meet you in the Cafeteria. You have my word." I said placing my hand on Mashu's head and rubbing it. "Hopefully it won't take too long." I added smiling.

"Alright I'll be waiting for you Senpai." Mashu said and I nodded my head at her. I turned my attention to Scathach sitting in her chair paying us little mind. "Scathach I assume you'll be fine without me?" I said.

"I won't even notice your absence." Scathach replied as she flipped another page in her book and I sighed. Mashu and I stepped out into the hall and the door swooshed shut behind us. I turned and faced Mashu who was standing behind me.

"The Cafeteria is on the way to the Director's office. You won't mind if I accompany you till then Senpai?" Mashu inquired.

"Of course not Mashu, I don't mind at all." I said nodding my head and Mashu smiled. "Let's get going, I wouldn't want to keep the Director waiting any longer. Otherwise she might just gas the whole complex." I said chuckling and Mashu rose her hand up to her mouth and chuckled along with me. The two of us swung around and started walking down the hall towards the Director's office.

Mashu and I made our way down the hallway passing through checkpoints where we provided our Chaldea Identification cards to security guards before continuing. Our footsteps echoed through the hallway and we passed several employees and I greeted them with a smile and a wave, but other than that it was a silent walk. After walking for a little while longer the silence was eventually broken by Mashu.

"Senpai?" Mashu said and I tilted my head to face her.

"Hmm? Yes what is it Mashu?" I asked.

"We still don't know anything new even after Orleans, someone had to have given Gilles the Grail." Mashu said cupping her chin. "And Gilles didn't provide us with any details as to who it was before he disappeared along with the destruction of the grail we can't analysis it, so we're still at Square one. It's becoming quite irritating…" Mashu murmured.

"Ah Yes. I agree it's aggravating that we still know nothing, and it was unfortunate that the grail was destroyed but have patience Mashu." I said and Mashu faced me surprised. "Everyone here at Chaldea is working hard to analysis the data we have gotten, and I'm sure Clock Tower is doing what they can. If anything comes up I'm sure we'll hear about it, until then we just need to wait. Eventually we will pull back the curtains to who is behind all of this or what is causing this. Small steps Mashu. Small steps." I said and a smile formed on Mashu's lips and she nodded her head.

"Yes you're right Senpai we just have to keep working hard!" Mashu said in agreement, then Mashu's eyes trailed off and I cocked my head. "However speaking of Orleans, I'm worried that Jeanne might still be mad with you after your fight with Alter Jeanne…" Mashu murmured and I raised an eyebrow.

"What about our fight with Alter Jeanne? We beat Alter Jeanne." I said remembering back to when Jeanne drove her sword through her other self and I still remember holding Alter Jeanne in my arms before she faded away.

"Well…. Jeanne told me about the fight and well… Jeanne seemed frustrated that you didn't tell her about your time with Alter Jeanne and you seemed almost as if you were going to choose Alter Jeanne over her." Mashu said and I rubbed my cheek.

"Geeeeez…. Yeah but I didn't! I choose her in the end." I said pointing out and Mashu gave me a disapproving glance. "She also choose to continue our pact and come with us to the present. If she was so frustrated with me why would she continue our partnership? Why not just end it there and fade away with the singularity?" I inquired and Mashu let out a sigh as she pushed her glasses up.

"Normal Servant's don't really have much of a choice if they want to end the pact, once a servant enters a pact with someone they are stuck with that person." Mashu said. "The only way the pact would end is if you let it." Mashu added.

"I would have ended the pact if she wanted me too." I said.

"Yes I know you would have, Senpai." Mashu said. "I don't know why she didn't end the pact with you and she made it quite clear she wanted to continue her partnership with us. I'm just saying that Jeanne clearly has some grievances that you might want to keep in mind. Only she can answer those questions you have." Mashu said.

"I'm going to talk with her, okay?" I said raising my hand up. "I will ask her about her concerns and I'll apologize and hopefully clear everything up." I said as I turned my gaze down the hall.

"I'm glad to hear that, I just do not wish for things to get like they are with Scathach between you and Jeanne." Mashu said.

"Oh trust me, there's no way our relationship could get as bad as the one I have with Scathach." I said raising my hands up once more as we came to a stop outside the Cafeteria. "Well we're here." I said as I lowered my hands and slid them into my pockets.

"Yes I'll go fetch you a coffee Senpai and then wait for you." Mashu said nodding her head.

"I'll be here as soon as I'm done with the Director and Jeanne." I said and Mashu nodded her head. "I'm sure there will be a lot to discuss. We'll discuss the singularity during our meeting and see if anything has arisen." I added hoping to reassure Mashu about her previous concerns. "Also by the way, have you spoken with the Director about Orleans?" I inquired swinging around to face Mashu before taking off. Mashu only shook her head in response.

"No Senpai, the only person I think the Director has spoken with about it is Roman and Roman hasn't told me anything." Mashu said as I scratched my cheek.

"Well alright then, I'm off Mashu. See you soon." I said turning around and heading down the hall as I waved Mashu goodbye for now.

"See you soon Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed.

Several minutes later

I approached the Directors office at the end of the hallway with the spanning glass window, where the usual armed guards stood outside of her door with black SCAR-Hs at their chest and pistols cocked in their holsters. I presented my identification card to the guards and they nodded me through. The doors to Director Animusphere office swooshed open and I stepped inside and was immediately hit by the strong aroma of wood. My eyes blinked rapidly for a moment and I looked around to my surprise to see that several pieces of older wood furniture had been moved into Olga's office, they all had a fresh sleek polish to them. Nestled in between two wooden bookcases was a roaring fireplace in front of a coffee table and leather couches. Almost all sense of modernism that had been in Olga's office had completely disappeared. I turned and faced the Director who was sitting at her desk with her face in her hand as she looked down at a folder laying in front of her. I cleared my throat and her head shot up to face me standing at the doorway.

"Ahem Director did I come at a bad time?" I said placing my hands behind my back.

"What…? Oh No." Olga said shaking her head as she closed the folder and placed it on a stack of folders and papers. Olga took the stack of paper work and patted them down on the desk straightening them and pushed them over to the side. "I see you finally made your way over here…" Olga said crossing her arms as she leaned forward on her desk.

"Yes I apologize for the delay, however I'm here now." I said as I walked towards her desk and stopped in front of her. "If I may ask, what were you looking through Director?" I inquired and Olga glanced over to her side.

"Oh… I was just looking through some of Lev's…. I mean Doctor Lev's notes and his reports. I'm still blown away by his theories and his expert analysis of things, he would spot things others would miss." Olga said as she rubbed one eye and then the other. "I really wish he was here right now…." Olga murmured.

"Doctor Lev certainly was an interesting character from the one encounter I had with him." I said as I grasped the arm of one of the chairs across from Olga and took a seat. "He was the Director of the Eleventh Archaeology Faculty at Clock tower correct? I read some of his work in my magic studies." I said as I crossed my legs and grasped my knee.

"Yes that is correct he was Director of one of the Faculty's at the Archaeology Department, famously referred to as Rocks Road." Olga said with a light chuckle. "He was a man deeply committed to his work and was mocked for it, some calling him a research fanatic or an indoor chairman." Olga said. "However despite all of that he was very approachable man and was good friends with my father." Olga said intertwining her fingers. "My Father saw that Doctor Lev deeply cared for Humanity, dedicating his life to protect it. So my Father asked him one day, "Lev if your life goal is to protect Humanity, then there is no better place for you to work than my Organization Chaldea." and like that Lev stepped down from his position at Clocktower and came to work for my Father…." Olga said before trailing off.

"Was Doctor Lev a prominent mage? His theories were very well received in the magic community and very interesting reads. If I recall correctly he created Shiva which allows us to observe the anomalies in our history?" I said.

"That is correct he did create Shiva which was another reason why my Father sought him out, several of our theories and formulas are based on Doctor Lev's research." Olga said as she intertwined her fingers. "And why Yes! He was quite the prodigy at the Mage Association, he achieved the Fourth rank in Clock tower at the young age of 20." Olga exclaimed.

"That's very impressive…." I said and trailed off for a moment.

""Lev was one of the only people here who dressed old fashion as I'm sure you noticed…" Olga said. "I asked him one day why that was, do you know what he said to me?" Olga asked me and I shook my head in response. "I'm the only one here who dresses old-fashioned. It's my pride as a magus to try and display courtesy towards the history of the Animuspheres. This may be a modern place, but it's also the workshop of the Animuspheres. So, even if it's only me, its natural to dress like a magus." Olga said as she closed her eyes and a smile formed on her lips before she let out a chuckle. "Lev was a very intelligent man and had a certain Etiquette to him, but I never could break through that shell of his…." Olga murmured and then trailed off. The Director seemed to speak very highly of Doctor Lev, everyone seemed to admire Lev, but the Director seemed to look up to him more than others from what I've observed. "It's just a shame I never could converse more with Lev, I'd like to see if I could have seen more of the man everyone spoke so highly off…" I thought to myself and I glanced off to the side and then I remembered that the furniture had changed. I turned my attention back to the Director who still seemed lost in thought as she rest her head on her hands.

"Ahem Director I noticed that all the furniture in your office has changed since I was last here." I said coughing and Director snapped out of her thoughts and faced me.

"Oh! Um Yes. This is all of my father's original furniture that he originally had in his office, it's been away getting refurbished." Olga said as she glanced around her office before stopping on me.

"Wow has it been away for that long? It's been almost a year since I was last in your office." I said scratching my cheek.

"Yes, these things take time you know. They must take great care when refurbishing it, this furniture is centuries old, it's been handed down throughout my family since the beginning of the Animuspheres." Olga said. "I'm Thankful that it wasn't here during the incident last year, who knows what damage could have been inflicted…." Olga murmured with a weary sigh.

"I would have thought you were more of a Modern furniture type of person Director, so I had assumed the furniture that had been in here was more to your taste." I said, hoping not to incur her wrath.

"Well there's a bit of modernism sprinkled around my office I like to think, my computers are modern, the fireplace is of a more modern type, and my telescope is modern." Olga said turning in her chair to face the window behind her desk, where a fancy looking black telescope faced outwards. "When does she even get the chance to look at the stars? It's always snowing here." I thought to myself, however it was best not to ask her. "My office is certainly not like my fathers, but I like more traditional furniture. I find it a lot more cozy and it let's me relax." Olga said turning around to face me.

"I can relate to that I like traditional furniture as well, however there's an appeal to more modern furniture that I quite like. I can't quite explain why, but I like it. Not the cheap modern furniture of course, but I think you know what I mean." I said crossing my arms and Olga nodded her head.

"To each their own, it really all depends on a persons taste." Olga said and leaned forward on her desk once more as she placed her crossed her arms on the desk. "Now I didn't call you down here to chit chat Christopher, I called you down to discuss the Singularity and going forward." Olga said returning to a professional manner and I straightened up as if at attention. "Now would you like some coffee before we continue?" Olga said motioning towards a coffee machine sitting on a table not far from her desk.

"No Thank you Director, Mashu and I plan on having coffee together after this." I said raising my hand.

"Very well." Olga said nodding her head as she intertwined her fingers. "Now while you've been secluding yourself to your bed for the past four days and ignoring my summoning…." Olga said narrowing her eyes at me and I felt her gaze pierce through my head. A sweat broke out on my forehead and made its way down my head. "Our Scientist and Mages have been analyzing the data we've acquired, and your operation was a complete success as 15th century France has returned to the way things should be. So that in turn means Human History has returned to way things should be… for now." Olga said and I breathed a sigh of relief. "France continued on and with it so has Humanity, we've managed to dodge another bullet. However that was only one bullet out of Eight in the chamber with the first bullet being Fuyuki. We still have six more singularities ahead of us, but good work on prolonging our survival for just a little longer." Olga said.

"Thank you Director." I said nodding my head. "Prolonging our survival for just a little longer was a minor comfort, but not very." I thought to myself.

"It was most unfortunate that the Grail was destroyed, we could have analyzed it for further data." Olga said sounding a little displeased.

"I know Director, I'm sorry…" I said before being cut off by Olga as she raised her hand.

"No need to apologize, it was unfortunate, but your mandate was to destroy the Holy Grails or bring them back. So long as you destroyed them and correct the Singularities that's all that matters. However bringing an intact Grail would be a remarkable accomplishment…." Olga said and I could tell she was still annoyed. I know the Director was disappointed, however In the back of my mind I was glad the grail was destroyed. Such a powerful relic as the Holy Grail was too dangerous for anyone's hands even our own, even if it did peak my interest.

"I'll keep in that mind in the next singularity Director, however in the heat of combat…" I said before being cut off once more.

"Yes, Yes I know." Olga said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Let us not linger on the subject any longer." Olga said and I nodded my head.

"Yes Director." I said.

"Now despite our success and all the data we've received and studied so far we still have no idea what or who is causing the singularities." Olga said as a frown crept on her lips. "We know the Grails are the root cause of the singularities, however we don't know how they get there or how they are acquired." Olga said. "Gilles and Alter Saber disappeared without any chance of questioning them; how they got the grail since they never acquired the grail in our timeline. So we are wandering around in the dark…" Olga said.

"Once again I apologize…" I said and Olga waved her hand dismissively once again. "Has there been no word from Clocktower on their end of the Investigation?" I inquired and Olga shook her head.

"No Clocktower hasn't found anything, and if they have they haven't told me. It would appear as if whoever pulled off the attack last year didn't leave a trace." Olga said.

"Director perhaps if you allow me to lead an independent investigation under Chaldea…." I said and was cut off my Olga's hand.

"No I don't want us to get involved. This is Clocktowers independent investigation and if you or anyone here gets involved they are only likely to get pissed off. And right now I like things the way they are, we are on thin ice with Clocktower and I don't want to crack that ice or melt it per say. I'll be giving my full report of our success to Clocktower at the end of the week and that shall hopefully harden the ice you could say." Olga said.

"I'm not quite sure as to why they don't want us to get involved?" I inquired curiously.

"The easiest way to put it, is that it's like your FBI and police. The police don't like it when the FBI get involved in their cases. It's the same way with Clock tower." Olga said.

"When you put it like that I understand now Director." I said with a heavy sigh. "It's unfathomable though that even powerful organizations like ClockTower stoop to such pettiness." I thought to myself. A Silence broke out for a few moments and I looked up from my lap at the Director who was eying me quietly.

"Christopher I must admit I'm surprised you rejected Alter Jeanne's offer." Olga said and I was a little taken aback by her comment.

"W-why is that? Should I have accepted her offer?" I asked.

"No I don't believe you should have and whether you did or not was not my call to make, I'm just surprised that's all. Alter Jeanne was by far a more powerful servant who could have aided us greatly." Olga said cupping her face.

"Well it was the right thing to do Director. We here at Chaldea Security Organization seek to protect and safeguard Humanity and I'm not sure if Alter Jeanne could have ever fully come to terms with that. Not only that, but it is unsure whether or not she really would have been able to have really made a pact with me since she was of Gilles own creation, so I don't know if she actually had the Freewill to make that offer or decision." I said as Olga tapped her finger on her desk. "And morally speaking it was the right thing to choose Jeanne, betraying my partner after everything we had been through and suffered would be a betrayal of my morals and ethics." I said tapping my fingers on my arms "That and betraying someone such as Jeanne D'arc would be truly despicable after everything she had been through in her life and no doubt it would have haunted me for the rest of my life." I said gazing off outside behind the Director, Olga grinned at me amused.

"All very valid points and in the end it was your choice so I'll leave it at that, if you think you made the right decision then there's nothing else to say." Olga said. "Now that does bring us to our next subject. I'm very impressed that we have managed to acquire a Ruler Class Servant, you managed to acquire Jeanne D'arc as your Third Servant and she did so on her own volition. This surely will be a great asset to Chaldea, having a Ruler class servant in our possession." Olga said still tapping her desk.

"Well Director…" I said tugging at my collar. "Jeanne really isn't a Ruler Class anymore. She wasn't summoned by the Holy Grail to obey and she does not oversee any Grail wars, and she has none of the abilities associated with the Ruler Class." I said gulping as I eyed Olga nervously waiting for her to vent.

"I know." Olga said and I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Jeanne told me she has none of the Ruler class abilities anymore, even after defeating Alter Jeanne and returning to full strength. However while it is unlikely she will ever get her True Name displacement skill or the Command Spells given to her by the Grail, she still is a great asset to us even as a Saber Class." Olga said. "I just don't know how you did it, you got Jeanne to come with you, No actually she wanted to come with you. It is usually very unlikely that servants will want to stay in the present or stay with a Master." Olga said and tapped her desk once more. "Do you perhaps possess mystic eyes Christopher or is there some sort of ability you possess that compels people to want to follow you?" Olga said and I rose my shoulders shrugging.

"I-I-I don't know?" I exclaimed. "When I go to the Grocery store and checkout, the cashiers don't tell me that they want to come home with me." I said and Olga chuckled amused. "So I don't really know why Jeanne wanted to come with me. However she wanted to and who was I to refuse? If she wanted to continue to help and come with me, I wasn't going to tell her no." I said and Olga finally stopped tapping her desk and brought her finger to stop.

"Well I guess you just really gained her trust." Olga said. "However as I'm sure you are aware as your servant she really wouldn't have had much of a choice if you had forced her." Olga said narrowing her eyes.

"Would you have wanted me to force her to come with me?" I asked.

"Absolutely, while Alter Jeanne was your choice. I think you should have forced her to come with you, she is just too great of an asset to give up." Olga said sternly and wagged her finger at me. "I'm not quite sure if I would have felt comfortable forcing Jeanne to do that." I thought to myself quietly. "Luckily you did not have to do that, but as always the choices you make in the field are ultimately up to you unless it is something Major." Olga said and crossed her arms. "So in the end we managed to secure a Great asset like Jeanne and we completed the mission. Now while we are still at a lose for why this is happening, this mission was an overall success." Olga said and I nodded my head. "Chaldea shall take the data we gathered and continue our analysis into the year to come and this shall hopefully help us with the next singularity and once the next Singularity draws closer we shall hopefully know when and where it is taking place. So you can breathe easy for the next year back at home until we once again need you. However before you depart I'm sure there will be several more things we need to discuss. This was a small victory and hopefully our small victories will lead us to more clues that will help put the puzzle pieces together." Olga said and I pushed myself up out of my seat and stood up straight in front of Olga.

"Understood Director." I said raising my hand up to my head saluting her.

"Dismissed Operative." Olga said with a dismissive salute and I lowered my hand to my side and swung around and made my way out of Olga's office leaving her to her work.

Once the doors to Olga's office swooshed closed I took a deep sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from my forehead. "Well that went smoothly, that was one bullet dodged indeed, now time to go dodge another bullet with Jeanne." I murmured and one of the guards at the door chuckled and I glanced at the guard. "Gerald don't even start with me." I said turning to face him.

"Start what?" Gerald said cheeky behind his Black ski mask. "It's just amusing to see how Chaldea throws you around. One day you were sitting at a desk doing nothing and now you're being tossed back in time to try and save humanity from beings more powerful than ourselves. And to Top it off when you're not getting shot at or stabbed, you have to deal with that feisty Red head and now I see you have a Blonde to contend with. All these Lady Troubles you got, makes a man jealous." Gerald said and I knew exactly what he meant.

"YEAH. I remember sitting at that desk when you checked up on me and after you left I got that email." I said blinking rapidly. "And now I wish I hadn't gotten that email. That way I would still sitting at the comfy desk job. I never asked for any this." I exclaimed. "Also you probably shouldn't call Lancer a feisty redhead to her face if I was you, just some friendly advice" I said jabbing my finger into Gerald's vest and Gerald chuckled along with Adam.

"I know you don't need to tell me. Believe me." Gerald said. "I'm just saying maybe you should ask for a raise with what they keep putting you through." Gerald said.

"Oh No. I'm not going back in there and ruining the Director's mood, she's in a goodish mood right now and I'm not going to ruin it. You go in there and ask her yourself." I said and Gerald chuckled.

"Yeah alright, alright. I hear you man." Gerald said and I turned around preparing to head out. "And Hey Chris." Gerald said and I swung around to face him once more. "We're all rooting for you in the Security Department, Humanity's future is on your shoulders." Gerald said and I sweat dropped.

"Oh Thanks Guys. No pressure." I said and Gerald and Adam chuckled as I took off down the hall. "I'm no savior of humanity." I murmured as I slid my hands into my pockets…

Several Moments Later

After a brisk walk through several security checkpoints and navigating Chaldea's complex I found myself standing outside of the door to Chaldea's chapel. It had been quite a while since I had been to our Chapel and I had thought I would never be stopping here again. However a lot has changed as things always do… I rose my hand up to up to the panel next to the door and tapped a button on the screen. The door swooshed open and revealed a dimly lit small room. Red carpeting covered the floor of the room and the walls were painted white. Dark wooden benches went down the sides of the room with 6 benches in total, light fixtures were placed parallel of one another on the walls, and at the end of the room there was a mural painted of Christ on the wall with an altar and some potted plants in the corners of the room. I stepped inside the room and the door slide shut behind me. The lighting dimmed after the doors swooshed closed and I glanced around and there was no sign of Jeanne. I stepped further down the aisle towards the Altar and it was there that I found Jeanne kneeled in front of the first bench with her hands up in prayer as her head rested against her hands. Jeanne looked completely different now, she no longer was dawning her knight armor and now wore a White Turtleneck with a long white skirt that had purple streaks going down it, while she still had on her purple stockings and a pair of light brown boots that went up to her knees. Resting on the bench in front of her was a light tan coat with white furry lining. I silently approached Jeanne and grasped her coat hanging over her bench as I sat down on the bench behind her bench. I folded her coat gently and held it in between my chest and crossed arms as I leaned back in the bench staring forward reserved as I wished not to disturb Jeanne during Prayer. Several minutes passed by of a quiet silence. I sat there deep in thought as I pondered back on what Jeanne had said in France and I wondered if Raelin truly was up in Heaven above being well taken care of. It was then when something brought me back down to Earth.

"Chaldea's chapel is rather nice don't you think." Jeanne said softly and I snapped my attention forward and saw the back of Jeanne's head.

"Oh umm… Yes I suppose it is Jeanne." I said as Jeanne continued to have her back to me.

"I see you've finally emerged from your room. How are you feeling?" Jeanne asked.

"Oh well I'm feeling Good. Still a little tired though." I said as I reached up and rubbed my eyes.

"You've been sleeping in for four days now." Jeanne said.

"Yes so I've been told, but I still feel worn out from Orleans." I said.

"Well then perhaps you should return to your quarters and get some more sleep." Jeanne said sounding apathetic.

"Well I just got back from speaking to the Director after basically being forced to drag myself out of bed." I said.

"I see so I can assume you discussed the Singularity with her." Jeanne said.

"That is correct." I replied.

"So naturally you came here after your meeting with the Director. Did you perhaps come here to pray, if so I suppose I shall leave you to it." Jeanne said as she seemed prepared to get up.

"Actually I came here looking for you." I said squeezing Jeanne's coat towards my chest.

"O-Oh…. What is there to discuss?" Jeanne muttered as she faced downwards.

"Jeanne are you still mad at me for not telling you about my meeting Alter Jeanne?" I exclaimed.

"N-No! I'm not mad…" Jeanne muttered continuing not to face me. While I certainly did not pretend to understand women, I knew that when a Woman said she wasn't mad she was mad.

"Listen Jeanne, I know that I should have told you earlier and I meant too okay." I said. "Or are you upset because you think that I was really considering accepting Alter Jeanne's offer to betray you. Or is it because I agreed with some of the points she made?" I said and Jeanne continued to remain silent. "HEY! Jeanne don't start acting all cold on me, acting cold doesn't suit you!" I exclaimed irritated as I placed a hand on her shoulder. Jeanne swung around and looked at me angrily.

"Chris, don't raise your voice! We're in the Lords House right now!" Jeanne said scolding me with her finger wagging at me. I took my hand off of her shoulder and leaned back into my chair with my hands up.

"Sorry." I muttered and Jeanne swung around and faced forward ushing the room back into silence and causing me to sigh. Several minutes of silence passed as we sat there not speaking with one another…

"... I-I know that okay. You don't need to tell me." Jeanne said quietly so much so that I almost didn't hear her. "I'm just frustrated okay." Jeanne added.

"I know and you have a right to be frustrated, I should have told you. However I still choose you in the end Jeanne because you're my partner and not only my partner but a very intelligent and kind young woman who went through a lot." I said and paused for a moment as I reflected back on what I had seen. "A lot that I personally wish you never had to have had gone through, and if I betrayed you I would have regretted it for the rest of my life." I said, my tone filled with sadness. "You saved my life several times as I'm sure you will continue to do so in the future and you trusted me with your life as I entrusted you with my own life. So I would have never betrayed you, not then and not ever. That's all I have to say Jeanne, I'll leave you to your morning Prayer." I said respectfully as I stood up from my seat and placed Jeanne's jacket over the bench before I turned around and headed towards the door to leave Jeanne be. Just as I reached the door and prepared to leave I heard footsteps behind me.

"Wait Chris!" Jeanne exclaimed quietly and I turned around to see her walk up to me. "W-where are you going!" Jeanne stuttered as she stood in front of me with her jacket tucked in between her arms.

"I'm going to go have some coffee with Mashu at the Cafeteria." I replied and Jeanne fidgeted in her spot.

"M-may I join you?" Jeanne asked.

"Of course I'm sure Mashu wouldn't mind." I said placing my hand on Jeanne's shoulders and nodding.

"Thank you Chris." Jeanne said as a smile formed on her lips and she looked downwards. "We can talk more about this later." Jeanne murmured and I nodded my head. "And I'm sorry I was just scared that you might have betrayed me for Alter Jeanne so I got angry at you for something you didn't do which was stupid I know, but I'm really glad you didn't betray me." Jeanne said looking up at me with a smile as her cheeks were a rosy red.

"Your cheeks are all rosy Jeanne, if people see you like this they are gonna think something happened in here." I said reaching up and pinching Jeanne on the cheek which only caused her face to turn a deeper shade of red.

"Chris S-stop that!" Jeanne exclaimed as she batted at my chest and I chuckled as I let go. "Jeanne really does look so cute when she blushes I couldn't help myself." I thought to myself as my hand returned to its side.

"Come on let's go Jeanne, It would be rude of us to keep Mashu waiting any longer." I said as I turned around and faced the door. I reached up and tapped on the panel next to the door and it swooshed open.

"Y-Yes you're right! Let's go!" Jeanne said and the two of us stepped out into the hallway together.

Once we were out in the hallway Jeanne slipped into her coat and stepped in front of me and faced me.

"What is it Jeanne?" I inquired as Jeanne glared at me.

"Why'd you have to tease me when I was apologizing to you!" Jeanne exclaimed curling her hands into fist as she raised them in front of herself.

"Haha, Sorry Jeanne." I said as I raised my hand up to my mouth and chuckled. "You just looked so cute I couldn't help but pinch your cheeks." I said.

"Cute…" Jeanne said puffing her cheeks out and I chuckled even more. "Let's hurry up and go already!" Jeanne said as she turned around and headed off down the hall with me following behind her as I continued to chuckle. I rushed to catch up with her and the two of us walked side by side as we made our way down the halls. I smiled at Jeanne as she continued to face forwards not facing me. Jeanne's glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes after a few moments and then darted forwards.

"What are you smiling at?" Jeanne murmured.

"Oh I'm just amused at how you're trying to act mad." I said and a vein popped on the back of Jeanne's head.

"I am mad at you! For teasing me!" Jeanne barked as she punched me in the shoulder. "Ahhh Chris you idiot, here you were telling yourself a few seconds ago that you knew when a woman was mad and it turns out she really is mad." I thought to myself as I was taken aback.

"Alright, Alright! I'm sorry!" I said putting my hands up before I placed them behind my back.

"Hmph." Jeanne grunted and a few more moments passed by before she spoke up. "So you've really been in your room for the past four days." Jeanne inquired and I sweat dropped once again.

"Yeah…" I replied. "I did say after I got checked up by Doctor Roman that I was going to crash and wasn't going to come out till I felt rested." I said as I nodded my head at two Chaldea Employees passing by.

"Well what caused you to leave?" Jeanne inquired turning to face me.

"Well it's like I said someone threatened to gas me in my sleep unless I answered her summons." I said and Jeanne's eyes widened.

"The Director threatened to gas you in your sleep!" Jeanne exclaimed. "She can't be serious." Jeanne added.

"I'd rather not find out if she had been serious." I sad and Jeanne ruffled her eyebrows. "But, don't worry Jeanne I'm fine, no need to fret." I said reassuringly.

"Well Mashu did tell me that the Director wished to speak with you and was getting rather agitated, but I didn't think she'd go that far." Jeanne said and I glanced upwards as I crossed my arms "Well that's because you haven't known the Director as well as I do." I thought to myself as I looked back down at Jeanne. "So besides the Singularity, what else did you and the Director discuss." Jeanne inquired.

"It was like you said, we discussed the Singularity. The Director informed me that our operation was a complete success and human history has once again been corrected to the way things should be..." I said before trailing off.

"What is it Chris? Shouldn't that be a good thing?" Jeanne inquired looking into my face.

"Ah Yeah! Of course, but that's not it…...We still know nothing about who was behind the attack on Chaldea a year ago. We also still don't know who is behind these singularities and the Director expressed her displeasure of the destruction of the Grail. I'm also trying to wrap my brain around this situation…" I said and guilt washed over Jeanne's face.

"I'm sorry Chris! I truly am!" Jeanne apologized.

"It's alright Jeanne don't worry about it." I said raising a hand stopping her and Jeanne looked at me confused. "I'll tell you another time." I said and Jeanne nodded her head.

"Okay…. I also have yet to have been informed on what happened at Chaldea last year, you said you were attacked." Jeanne said just as we reached the Cafeteria.

"Yes we were attacked last year, someone sabotaged our Generators and set off a chain reaction of explosions around the facility. This caused a malfunction in Chaldea's core and Mashu was injured along with dozens of employees killed." I said and Jeanne gasped.

"That's horrible!" Jeanne gasped as she placed her hand over her mouth.

"I'll tell you the rest of the details later…" I said as I glanced around the Cafeteria looking for Mashu. After a moment I spotted Mashu sitting at a table by herself with two cups of coffee. When Mashu spotted me she waved at me.

"Senpai!" Mashu greeted me as Jeanne and I approached her table. "Jeanne-san!" Mashu exclaimed, taken aback. "I didn't know you were going to be coming too otherwise I would have gotten you a coffee too. I can fetch you one right now if you like!" Mashu said.

"No! No! I'm fine, but Thank you Mashu." Jeanne said as I pulled a seat out for Jeanne and she took a seat. "Thank you Chris." Jeanne said as she scooted forward. I pulled out a seat next to Mashu and sat down. "Chris was gracious enough to allow me to join you two after we talked." Jeanne said as she rested her arms on the table.

"Nonsense Jeanne you can join us anytime you please. You don't need my permission to do anything." I said and Jeanne smiled graciously.

"Ah Y-Yes! Sorry! Thank you!" Jeanne said nodding her head.

"So you and Senpai talked." Mashu said to Jeanne and faced me. "I assume you and Jeanne-san settled things." Mashu murmured to me quietly.

"Well Mashu, Chris and I talked and got things out of our system. There's still some more I wish to discuss with him at a later time." Jeanne said cautiously causing me to glance at her out of the corner of my eye. Mashu snapped her attention towards Jeanne.

"I see! Well I'm glad to hear that!" Mashu exclaimed and Jeanne nodded her head. "Here's your coffee Senpai." Mashu said and handed me a Styrofoam cup. "I added two creams and three sugars like you always have." Mashu said.

"Thank you Mashu." I said nodding my head as I brought the cup to my lips and took a sip before placing it back down.

"So I assume things with the Director also went over smoothly." Mashu inquired.

"Yeah I suppose as smooth as one in my position could have hoped for. If it hadn't I wouldn't be here." I said and the three of us chuckled. I took another sip from my coffee and Jeanne glanced around the cafeteria.

"Where is Lancer?" Jeanne murmured as she faced us.

"Lancer? Lancer is in her bedroom reading." I said placing the cup down on the table once more. "Which is probably for the best, the less time her and I are in contact the better off this whole facility is." I murmured looking down at my reflection in the black liquid inside of the coffee cup.

"Do you and Lancer not get along?" Jeanne inquired.

"I guess you could say that..." I replied looking up to face Jeanne.

"I see…" Jeanne murmured scratching her cheek. "Does Lancer read a lot?" Jeanne inquired and I cleared my throat.

"Oh yeah. Quite frequently. There are very few times you'll see Lancer without a book in her hand." I said and Mashu nodded her head in agreement. Jeanne appeared to be ruffling her eyebrows in frustration and I cocked my head at her.

"...Lancer still hasn't told me her name…" Jeanne murmured sounding distraught as she cupped her chin and turned her gaze towards me.

"Oh No don't give me that look!" I said raising one of my hands up. "If you want to learn her name you're going to have to get it outta her, if I tell you I'll never hear the end of it." I said as I grasped my coffee cup and rose it to my lips taking another sip. Jeanne rubbed her cheek as she still seemed distraught by not knowing Scathach's name.

After a few moments passed by Jeanne, Mashu and I resumed our conversation, continuing to chit chat about a various range of topics for the rest of the morning….

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	3. Chapter Three Queen Takes King

**Chapter Three**

**Queen Takes King**

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Lunch had long since passed us by, but the three of us still remained as we continued chatting in the cafeteria. I sat there rubbing the brim of my coffee cup as my mind lost itself in thought, I reflected back on the Singularity in Orleans. Had I really made the right decision by betraying Alter Jeanne? After everything she had shown me and after all of her suffering. Didn't that make me no better than the people that betrayed her in life. But I couldn't have betrayed Jeanne either, because doing so would have also been have made me no better than the people who betrayed her. Jeanne and I had also made a pact and become close friends so it would have been like me betraying a friend. Jeanne and I were closer, but in our short time it felt as if Alter Jeanne and I had made some sort of connection. So either way I had been screwed, because I had ended up betraying someone that had relied on me and was close to me. I was also so concerned about the choice I had made… That I instinctively felt myself reach up and grasp the shoulder where Jeanne's command seal was. It was then when I remembered that I had used a Command Spell for Jeanne to boost her strength and power. When I had checked when we got back, her third seal had not returned and it remained at two command seals, while the command seal I had used for Scathach had returned. I didn't understand why her seal had not returned like Scathach's, but even though I didn't understand it. It didn't change the fact that Jeanne's command seals would not come back when I used them, so that means I had to be careful with how I used them in the future…

"Chris!" A Voice broke through my thoughts and I felt as someone grasped my arm shaking it. My head shot up and I saw Jeanne looking at me with a concerned expression on her face. "Chris are you alright?"

"A-Ah Yeah I'm fine. I was just thinking that's all" I said reassuringly and Jeanne retracted her hand back to her lap giving me almost an almost forced smile as it seemed like she wasn't convinced. I raised my hand up to my mouth and cleared my throat. "Ahem anyway Jeanne!" I said and Jeanne's eyes opened at the sound of her name. "Back in your fight with Gilles. You did something I never saw you do before, your sword was engulfed in your flames." I said recalling what I had seen. From my side I heard Mashu let out a surprised gasp. "It looked like you doused your sword in your own blood and then you murmured something in French that I didn't understand" I said tilting my head. "Were you always capable of doing that?" I inquired and a nervous smile formed on Jeanne's lips.

"Too be honest with you Chris, I never knew I could do that either." Jeanne said as she rubbed her hands. "It was just all out of the blue that it suddenly occurred to me and in the heat of the moment I just did it, almost as if a memory returned to me. My body and my lips moved on its own." Jeanne said and I rubbed my chin. "Could it be perhaps like I suspect…. No I don't have any further evidence to back that theory. So it's just a theory until then." I thought to myself as I stared at Jeanne.

"It just occurred to me that I forgot to ask if you're alright Jeanne, My apologies. Have your injuries healed? What about your left arm and the cuts on your hand? You were also burned pretty badly." I asked and Jeanne waved her healed hands in front of her.

"I'm fine! It's no problem at all Chris! See! Doctor Roman had me treated and a few days worth of bedrest healed my wounds. However thank you for asking!" Jeanne said and I smiled reassured. "Also all of my memories have returned to me and my parameters have been restored to how they should be." Jeanne said.

"Parameters…. That sounds like something straight out of a video game." I murmured. "How do I check these parameters and can I increase your parameters Jeanne?" I said jokingly. Jeanne only tilted her head in confusion.

"Video…. Game?" Jeanne murmured confused.

"Senpai please don't confuse Jeanne-san…." Mashu murmured in a hushed tone, it almost sounded as if she was scolding me. Jeanne looked at Mashu and then returned her attention to me.

"Ah I'm sorry Chris. I'm afraid I won't be granted any of the memories of the modern era sadly, so my knowledge is still limited to that of my life in 15th Century France. I'm still the same ditsy French Girl you know. So you'll have to forgive me." Jeanne said apologetically. "It took me quite a long time just to learn how to operate the doors around here. Who would have ever thought that now you can just touch something on the wall and a door will just swoosh open!" Jeanne chuckled embarrassed.

"It's true; you should have seen her when she encountered her fist automatic door. Jeanne almost leaped 10 feet back!" Mashu exclaimed and I couldn't help myself but laugh.

"M-Mashu…." Jeanne murmured as her cheeks turned red with embarrassment. I reached over and patted Jeanne's hand attempting to comfort her.

"It's alright! Don't worry Jeanne; we'll have you sorted out in no time. You'll be sending text messages in no time." I said still laughing.

"T-Thank you Chris. I look forward too whatever this text messaging is." Jeanne said bowing her head and I could only laugh some more. Even Mashu joined me in laughing and eventually so did Jeanne.

A few moments passed by before we got a hold of ourselves and continued our conversation.

"Mashu I'm a bit curious you never really explained what a Demi Servant is. You haven't really explained it to me. Were you always this skilled?" Jeanne inquired. Before Mashu could even speak up I placed my hand on Mashu's head and interrupted.

"Well you see Jeanne, a Demi Servant is what happens when a Human and a Servant get together under the sheets and make lovey dovey." I said jokingly with a cheeky smile. A wave of red washed over Jeanne's face and she covered her face with her hands as I chuckled.

"C-Chris stop it! Don't say such things Christopher!" Jeanne murmured. "They're embarrassing." Jeanne decried and I could only help but chuckle some more.

"W-What are you talking about Senpai?" Mashu murmured from underneath my hand and I looked down at her.

"O-Oh it's nothing Mashu, you don't need to worry about it. I was just teasing Jeanne, that's all..." I said as I reached behind my head and rubbed my neck. I chuckled awkwardly as I thought. "I forgot Mashu doesn't know anything about those types of things. If Roman ever found me saying these things he'd probably dissect me alive." Mashu blinked at me still confused, but eventually her gaze directed back at Jeanne.

"Ahem anyways." Mashu said clearing her throat and Jeanne brought her hands down from her face, her cheeks still a little flustered. "No Jeanne, I'm afraid I've never been this skilled or let alone strong, I could barely do a pushup before I became a Demi Servant." Mashu said as she rubbed her coffee cup shyly. "My skills and abilities are how to put it…. They are borrowed from someone else." Mashu explained. "I'm sure Senpai has told you about the incident that happened last year at Chaldea." Mashu inquired and Jeanne nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Well last year in the attack on Chaldea I was caught up in an explosion and mortally wounded… And as I felt my life fading away, the servant that I was contracted with to fight in Fuyuki with appeared to me and he offered me his abilities alongside his Noble Phantasm in exchange that I would eliminate the singularities." Mashu explained and Jeanne listened intently with wide eyes.

"What was the name of this heroic spirit? If you know their name, that is!" Jeanne inquired.

"I'm afraid I do not know as he did not tell me before he disappeared. So whenever I use my Noble Phantasm, it's more of a haphazard attempt and the name of my Noble Phantasm is one of my own naming so it's not the true name." Mashu said. "My skills are really that of his and I've just been getting by on luck alone." Mashu murmured.

"I see… Well whatever the case Mashu, I'm just glad that you're okay now! That's all that's important!" Jeanne said with a smile and I saw out of the corner of my eye Mashu put on a somewhat forced smile.

"Y-Yes you're right!" Mashu replied.

"Yeah Mashu that's all that matters is that you're here with us now. So don't sweat it so much." I said as I wrapped my arms around Mashu's neck and brought her into my chest hugging her.

"S-Senpai! C-Can't breathe!" Mashu exclaimed into my jacket. I chuckled as I let her go and Mashu returned to the upright position as she adjusted her glasses on her face. A brief moment passed and a smile formed on Mashu's lips. "Y-Yes both of you are right. Thank you." Mashu said nodding her head.

"You've done great so far Mashu, so you shouldn't beat yourself up." I said placing my hand on Mashu's shoulder and Mashu was taken aback as she looked at me.

"Thank you Senpai." Mashu said and nodded her head. I retracted my hand back and placed my other hand on Jeanne's shoulder.

"Besides I'm sure Jeanne would be willing to help you." I said looking back at Jeanne. Jeanne was a little taken aback, but nodded her head.

"Ah W-Well I don't have much experience with a shield! However I do have combat experience so I can help you if you need it Mashu!" Jeanne exclaimed and a soft smile formed on Mashu's lips as tears formed in her eyes. Mashu wiped her eyes with her sleeves and nodded her head.

"Thank you once again, both of you." Mashu said.

"Speaking of helping people…." Jeanne said and there was a tapping noise. I turned around to see Jeanne glaring at me with her finger tapping against the table.

"Later…" I said in a hushed tone and Jeanne narrowed her eyes at me. Mashu's eyes went back and forth between Jeanne and I as we glared at each other.

"Well anyway…" Jeanne said with a heavy sigh after a few moments passed. "You said very little about what you and the Director talked about during your briefing." Jeanne inquired and I turned my attention towards her.

"There isn't much else to say." I said as I rested my arms on the table. Jeanne proceeded to give me the look that most women give when they aren't convinced of something. "What else is there? I told you what the Director said…." I murmured and then I felt a tug on my sleeve. I turned and faced Mashu who was looking at me curiously.

"You've yet to tell me what you and the Director discussed." Mashu said and I sighed.

"Oh Alright I guess I can recap what we talked about, just for you Mashu." I said and then proceeded to inform Mashu about what was discussed…

"And that's really about it, we still know jack squat. Meanwhile Clock tower is still chasing their tail in circles, and they refuse any assistance." I said as I gripped my hands tightly.

"Clock tower?" Jeanne murmured and I looked at her.

"Oh yeah that's right you don't know about Clock tower." I said and Jeanne shook her head. "Clock tower is basically in a nutshell, a modern day organization of Magus who teach, practice, research, and protect the secrets of magic." I said and an ooh sound left Jeanne's mouth. "Chaldea Security Organization gets a substantial amount of funds from Clock tower, but Chaldea itself is independent of Clock tower. However I guess you could say they're just wanting to protect their investment." I said leaning forward against the table. "We're basically their attack dogs for hire also." I thought keeping that last part to myself.

"I see now. It makes sense that a group would form around the practice of magic." Jeanne said rubbing her hands. "I also see Magi are as secretive as always." Jeanne murmured.

"Well what can you do, I'm not sure how the general populace would react if they knew people could use magic. You never know what type of mindset the mob mentality will take." I said rubbing my hands still. "However I probably might be safe, I mean I can barely remember half the stuff I was taught." I thought to myself. "Though I do suppose there was one thing else the Director and I talked about." I said and I saw Mashu and Jeanne's interest peak even though I didn't think it was that interesting. "Actually now that I think about it, Mashu you might be able to help me." I said turning to Mashu who had a surprised expression face on her. "When I entered the room, the Director was looking back on Professor Lev's research and we talked about him for a short while. So I was wondering; the Director speaks very highly of Lev. What was their relationship Mashu?" I inquired.

"Well it is as you stated she speaks very highly of Professor Lev. I don't know exactly how close they were, but the Director looked up to and respected Lev." Mashu explained. "The Director would often confine in the Professor, I think that she looked up to the Professor and valued his opinion. I can't say for certain, but perhaps Professor Lev was like a mentor to her." Mashu said.

"The Director mentioned that the previous Director was the one who brought Lev here, perhaps she grew up around him." I said.

"I believe that was the case." Mashu said.

"Did you know the Previous Director Mashu?" I asked and Mashu shook her head.

"You mean the Director's father? No I never knew him personally nor did I ever meet him…" Mashu replied.

"I see…" I murmured as I rubbed my chin. "Well I don't think that I was working here when the Director's father was in charge. I think my paychecks have always been signed by Ms. Animusphere." I said cupping my chin as I tapped my finger against it.

"Why are you so interested Senpai?" Mashu asked and I brought my hand down from my chin.

"Oh just my curious nature getting the better of me I suppose." I replied reaching over and rubbing Mashu's head. "If I may ask, what did you think of Professor Lev?" I asked.

"I'm afraid I didn't know the Professor all that well…" Mashu said and I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Mashu waved her hands in front of her and her glasses almost fell off of her face. Once Mashu adjusted her glasses properly she cleared her throat. "W-What I mean to say is that I knew Lev and he knew me, but he never confined in me or told me much about himself. However from our interactions he was a kind hearted gentleman who was very intelligent and was always nice to me. I liked him and we got along, but I didn't know him on a personal level only on a professional one. If you wanted to learn more about him you could ask Roman. I'm pretty sure he mentioned once that Lev and him went to Clock tower together." Mashu said and my interest peaked.

"This Professor Lev you speak of, who was he?" Jeanne said and both Mashu and I's attention snapped towards her.

"Oh apologies Jeanne. Mashu and I were here going on about someone you've never even heard of." I said.

"Professor Lev was the Lead technician and Engineer here at Chaldea Security Organization, he invented the Shiva Lens which allows us to observe Humanities future and past. It was the reason why we were able to observe the singularity in your time." Mashu explained.

"Shiva… Is that the blue globe I saw when we first returned to Chaldea." Jeanne inquired and Mashu nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"Well Lev was also the Director of the Eleventh Archaeology Faculty at Clock Tower. He achieved the Fourth Rank at Clock Tower at the age of 20." I said and Mashu turned to look at me.

"Senpai I thought you wanted to know more about Lev, but you sound like you already know quite a bit." Mashu said.

"It's not like I didn't know anything about him. The Director told me a little about him on top of the fact that his research and theories were required reading in my magic studies." I said gesturing my hands. "I just wanted to know more about who Lev was as a person since everyone looked up to him." I said.

"I see, well anyways yes Professor Lev held many titles and Director was once one of them." Mashu said cupping her chin.

"You guys keep speaking with words like was and were. So that means Professor Lev…." Jeanne muttered and I turned to face her.

"Yes I'm afraid so Jeanne, Professor Lev was killed last year in that attack I told you about." I said. I saw Jeanne's eyes saddened and a frown encroached onto her face.

"That's terrible! From what you guys said he sounded like a good man." Jeanne said. "Good men like that don't deserve to die like that, we need more good men in the world not less." Jeanne murmured sadly.

"Yes I had only just met him before he was killed, however such is life. All we can do now is continue fighting in his memory and avenge our fallen by stopping the destruction of Earth and those behind it!" I said and Jeanne and Mashu nodded their head in agreement.

"Yes I too will fight in his memory!" Jeanne exclaimed raising her fist into the air.

"I'm sure he'd be glad to hear that Jeanne." I said and I pulled back my sleeve to look at the time. "Whelp I enjoyed our lunch together and the coffee was great along with our chat, but it's time I head out." I said pulling my sleeve back down before I pushed back my chair and stood up. Mashu and Jeanne looked up at me with concerned expressions.

"Where are you going?" They both asked simultaneously.

"Woah there, I'm just heading back to bed." I said raising my hands up before I tucked them back into my pockets.

"Senpai you can't be serious…." Mashu murmured. I gave her a look that said "Oh yeah I'm Serious." and Mashu only let out a sigh.

"But Chris there's still more I wish to talk to you about." Jeanne exclaimed. "That and I wanted you to show me around." Jeanne murmured with a slight frown on her face and ruffle of her eyebrows.

"We can talk later Jeanne, I'm not going anywhere." I said. "And I'm sure Mashu would be more than happy to show you around." I said and Jeanne ruffled her eyebrows at me some more.

"There's still so much to do in the day, are you seriously going to spend the rest of the day sleeping it away?!" Jeanne exclaimed standing up from her chair.

"That I am indeed. You ladies don't need me to enjoy the rest of your day. So do whatever you want, there's plenty here for you to do at Chaldea Jeanne." I said just before I turned around and started heading out of the Cafeteria. "I'll talk to you later Mashu, Jeanne. And Thank you for the Coffee Mashu, Enjoy the rest of your day ladies." I said waving my hand over my shoulder as I disappeared around the corner…

I watched him as he rounded the corner and disappeared with the wave of his hand. I fell back down in my seat with a heavy sigh. "Even though we talked for a few hours, I hardly got to speak to him about the things I really wanted to talk about." I thought to myself as I slumped back in my chair.

"Jeanne-san is something the matter?" Mashu asked and I looked up to see Mashu staring at me with a concerned expression on my face. I straightened up in my chair and rested my hands on the table as I put on a weak smile.

"I-It's nothing Mashu, I'm fine really." I said brushing my hair behind my ears. After I had spoken that I couldn't help myself as my lips moved on their own and a frown formed on my face. I let out a sigh and I rubbed my shoulders. "Well it's just that I hardly got to talk to Chris about things I really wanted to talk about. "That and I had really hoped we could have spoken more in private." I thought to myself.

"Oh I'm sorry Jeanne, I hadn't realized you wanted to speak with Senpai about important things! My apologies if I had known…!" Mashu exclaimed and I waved my hands in front of myself.

"No, No. Please you have no need to apologize Mashu! It's just that Chris had said he would help me with learning how to read and write and I wanted to ask him about that." I said.

"OH! Well I'm sure if Senpai said he would do it, I'm sure he will! Senpai is a man who keeps his word!" Mashu exclaimed and I nodded my head.

"Yes I know, he kept his word back in Orleans so I have no doubt he will!" I said remembering back to a few day ago when we lifted the flag over Orleans. "I was just wondering when we would start!" I said.

"I'm sure as soon as Senpai is done with his eternal slumber he will keep his word!" Mashu replied and I chuckled while nodding my head. "Anyway Jeanne, Senpai said you two talked over the frustrations you were having! Did everything go over smoothly?" Mashu inquired.

"O-Oh Yes!" I exclaimed. "Chris apologized and I accepted his apology… however there is still some more stuff I wanted to talk about to him in private." I said and Mashu nodded her head in understanding.

"I see now. That's why you wanted to talk to him more, because there are still things the two of you wished to talk over." Mashu said and I nodded my head.

"Yes Thank you for understanding Mashu." I said nodding my head. "M-Mashu…" I stopped myself from continuing and Mashu tilted her head in confusion.

"Yes? What is it Jeanne-san?" Mashu asked.

"It's nothing!" I said shaking my head. "How about you show me more around Chaldea! It would be good for me to spend some time elsewhere besides in the Chapel and my room!" I said standing up as I put on smile.

"Of course Jeanne-san! Afterwards do you want to hang out in my room?" Mashu asked.

"Yes! That would be great Mashu!" I said as I pushed my chair back under the table. Mashu stood up doing the same and she led the way forward as I followed behind in her footsteps…

A Few Minutes Later

After a brisk walk down the halls and through security checkpoints I reached the door to my room. I tapped the panel next to the door and the door swooshed open. Once the door swooshed open it revealed to me, my favorite person sitting in her chair still reading. I stepped inside room and extended my hands out in an welcoming gesture and she didn't even move.

"I have returned your Majesty! Did you miss me?" I said jokingly. Scathach's eyes didn't even look up from her book to acknowledge my presence, completely ignoring me. I returned my hands to my sides and a sigh escaped from my lips. I made my way over towards the desk sitting against the wall where I would work if I needed too, and I pulled out a seat facing Scathach from across the room. Scathach continued to pay me no mind as she flipped a page in her book. I looked over the table and I saw our unfinished game of chess still sat where we had left it. I couldn't help but have a stupid grin on my face as a light bulb went off over my head. I gestured my hands towards the chess board and spoke out breaking the silence. "Scathach our chess game remains unfinished, won't you finish it with me." Scathach however remained unwavered in her ignorance of me.

"Are you perhaps afraid you might lose to me at something… again?" I said with a cheeky grin as I leaned back in my chair. A loud smack intruded my ears as Scathach slammed her book shut and placed it down on the night table next to her chair. Scathach stood up from her chair and made her way over towards me at the desk. Once she had made her way over here, Scathach grasped the top of the chair and looked down at me with an unamused expression on her face before she closed her eyes and pulled the chair out. Once Scathach had positioned herself comfortably she looked at me with her usual expression.

"I didn't know you were so eager to lose." Scathach said as she rested her elbows on the table.

"Well you never know, I could make a comeback." I said amusingly as I grasped one of my white chess pieces and moved it forward on the board challenging her. This only earned me a scoff from Scathach as she looked at the board for a few moments before she made her move. Scathach and I continued back and forth at our chess game for the next couple of minutes. It was Scathach's turn as she reached forward and grasped one of her knights and knocked over one of my bishops getting closer towards my King.

"You didn't ask me over to play chess with you just to be beaten, so tell me what you wanted to talk about." Scathach said as she retracted her hand back to her side of the board.

"No I didn't." I said as I kept my gaze fixed on the board. "I wanted to discuss the Singularity in Orleans with you." I said as I rested my head on my hands and looked up at her.

"Oh? You want my opinion or perhaps my guidance? I thought you didn't need it since you never seem to ask for it every other time." Scathach retorted.

"You know for a 2000 year old woman you can act really immature sometimes." I said and Scathach narrowed her eyes at me from behind intertwined fingers.

"You're one to talk." Scathach murmured from behind her hands. Scathach stared at me in silence for a few moments before she spoke up. "So what is it specifically about the Singularity that you wish to discuss?"

"I wanted to ask you, do you think I ended up making the right decision back there with Alter Jeanne and Jeanne?" I said and Scathach's eyes narrowed at me. "I mean sure Alter Jeanne was cruel and committed several atrocities, but I just don't know if I could truly call her evil. She was more like an angry child who let her emotions control her." I murmured. Scathach stared at me in silence for a few moments, her eyes fixated on me.

"That's not really for me to say whether or not you made the right decision. It was your choice and I believe that only you can know if you made the right choice, not I or anyone else. Every man and women is responsible for his or her own actions." Scathach said and my gaze fell down back to the chessboard. "However what I will say is that you should have told me about your dream with Alter Jeanne. You should be careful as to not be easily manipulated or come under the influence of enemy servants. Mashu and I can't protect you in your dreams." Scathach said and I sighed.

"I know, I know. You don't need to get on my case too; Jeanne and I already talked about it this morning." I said rubbing the back of my neck.

"Rightfully so I imagine, since that was her Alter self and you could have ended up betraying her and causing her death." Scathach said and I only let out a deeper sigh.

"Well I didn't." I replied.

"Obviously." Scathach said. "Although I guess you can't really say it was her Alter Self since Alter Jeanne was created by Gilles desires." Scathach said.

"I don't know. Do you really think someone could have no hate or anger?" I asked.

"I don't know, that's something you would have to ask Jeanne." Scathach replied.

"Well that's not really helpful answer." I said rubbing my sides.

"Well I'm not really one to answer for other people." Scathach said and I grumbled. "Alright, Alright. If you're so keen to hear my insight. I would say no there is no such thing as a human who does not harbor hate nor anger, it is more than likely the case that Jeanne is not as pure as some portray her as and that she probably just conceals her emotions better than most to put on a brave face. Especially given everything she's been through." Scathach said and I couldn't help but flinch as I remember what Alter Jeanne had shown me.

"Jeanne is someone you can't understand unless you've walked down a similar path as hers." Scathach said and I reflected on what she had said.

"I know it sounds bad of me to say this, but I found myself agreeing with some of what Alter Jeanne ended up saying." I said. "Despite everything that has happened in human history, we just seemed doomed to repeat our mistakes over and over. We murder and hurt our fellow human beings, and we steal and pillage. I know that doesn't mean we should just murder everyone, because then we are no better and would only let evil win in the end, but it just kind of feels like….I just can't help but feel like humans will never rise above our inner evils." I murmured.

"Humans are complicated creatures." Scathach said as she reached forward and moved one of her chess pieces across the board. "Humans are in a constant struggle to overcome their inner evils. We are always striving to self improve and overcome obstacles in our path." Scathach said. "Human progress is proof of that, Humanity today is not the same Humanity of Jeanne and Alter Jeanne's time. We've overcome several obstacles and will continue to do so even as we populate the stars." Scathach said as I moved one of my chess pieces.

"Well it's not that far off; we're already working on putting people on Mars. The Russians have a Moon base now." I said as Scathach looked at my chess pieces.

"Yes so I've heard. I've also heard the Americans are building one as well not to be out done." Scathach said and I couldn't help but chuckle. "Even so problems will continue to follow us even into the stars, and we must continue to try and overcome them. We're not perfect and we do bad things so some people might think humans are utter trash and garbage... And they're not completely wrong, humans are weak and pathetic, but it's the drive that humanity has to overcome those weaknesses that makes them strong and worth fighting for." Scathach said.

"Oh so does that mean you're weak and pathetic Scathach? You're human after all." I asked raising an eyebrow as I crossed my arms.

"All Humans are, with no exceptions. Not I, Not Jeanne, nor you. Nobody is perfect, because we are all a slave to emotions. However I'm not going to beat myself up over it." Scathach said. "Some of us are better than others and fated for greater things like leading nations or solving problems facing our time. However in the bigger picture of the universe it does not matter be it if you are Queen, King, Emperor, or President, none of us really matter. The Universe does not care if I exist or not, the universe will keep on going with or without me." Scathach said as she moved another chess piece knocking over one of my own knights. "So in the end it doesn't really matter, how you want to live your life is what matters. It doesn't matter what you or the rest of the Universe thinks, so long as I am content with what how I am living with my life." Scathach said. "So if Jeanne was content with how she lived her life, so be it. That should not be something that anyone should try to undo, and that was exactly what her Alter self was trying to do. Alter Jeanne was trying to undo all of what Jeanne fought for, what we all fight for. A Brighter future for humanity or ourselves. In Alter Jeanne's case it was likely a brighter future for herself." Scathach said and I moved one of my chess pieces.

"I see…" I murmured as I scratched my cheek.

"All I will say is that the Mission was the priority, and our mission was to take out the cause of the singularity. This was Alter Jeanne, who also turned out to be the Holy Grail." Scathach said as she reached over and grasped her Queen and moved it across the board. Knocking over my King Scathach claimed victory just like that and I had hardly even noticed that she had lead everything up to that outcome. "Now checkmate." Scathach said and I leaned back in my chair in defeat. "And with that I shall retire. I hope you enjoy your defeat." Scathach said mockingly as she pushed herself up out of her chair. I grasped my chin as I watched Scathach walk her way over to the bed and crawl under the covers. All I could do was sit there and reflect back on what she had said. I saw Scathach's hand reach out from under the covers and she tapped the console on the night table. The lights dimmed and everything went dark leaving me alone to my thoughts….

* * *

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	4. Chapter Four Transferring Command

**Chapter Four**

**Transferring Command**

* * *

Everything was dark as I slowly opened my eyes and faced the ceiling of my room. It was then when I felt something scurry across my chest and I looked down to see my bedsheets rustle as small lump sat on my chest. The lump then moved up my chest towards the opening in the sheets and I felt as sweat rolled down my forehead, I felt as my breathing grew shorter. Then a furry head popped out from underneath the covers and I felt my body move on its own as I jerked backwards in my bed. A massive pain shot through the back of my head as I hit the headboard.

"Owe…" I murmured as I rubbed the back of my head, my head throbbed immensely.

"Fou?" Was all I heard in response.

"Tch, Four you almost gave me a heart attack..." I said stilling rubbing the back of my head where it throbbed and I looked up too see Four's head sticking out from underneath my bed sheets. Four let out a yawn apparently unconcerned that he almost gave me a concussion. I watched as the rest of the furry white creature emerged out from underneath the covers and jumped down from my bed. I saw the outline of Four trot his way towards the door having apparently done what he came here for.

"Next time I'll make sure I lock my door!" I said shaking my fist at him. "I already have enough problems in my life and I don't need you to be another one Four!" I exclaimed. Four paid me no mind as the door swooshed open and he disappeared into the hallway. The door swooshed shut once Four exited, plunging the room back into darkness. "If he accompanies us to the next singularity, this time I'll make sure we leave him there." I murmured as I lowered my head back down onto my pillow.

A few moments passed me by since that life threatening encounter with Four. In those moments I laid there in bed staring at the ceiling determining whether or not I wanted to go back to sleep or get up. I closed my eyes for a moment before I opened them and made up my mind. Pushing myself upright with my elbows, I pulled back the covers and swung around in my bed. Once my feet touched the ground they felt their way around in the dark until I slid my feet into my shoes. My hand made its way over to my nightstand which lit up as it grew nearer, and I tapped a button on the illuminated panel, light flooded my eyes as the rooms lights turned on. I lifted my hand up to my mouth as I yawned and then proceeded to rub my eyes. Sleep aside I pushed myself off the bed and made my way over to the closet by the door. The door slid open and I pulled my shirt over my head tossing it into the suitcase at the bottom. Reaching up I grasped a white collared shirt and slid into it comfortably, I buttoned up and reached up grabbing a black suit jacket where I proceeded to do the same. I took off my shoes and changed into a pair of suit pants, and then put my shoes back on. Once all that had been said and done I stood there adjusting the cuffs of my shirt. I looked around the room and I noticed the absence of a certain hostile presence in the room. Scathach and I had not talked since our chess game, which had been a few days since now. However even then she could usually been found here.

"Where is she?" I murmured as I did a three hundred and sixty degree circle looking around the room. Sure enough there was no sign of her to be found. "What does it matter Chris? She hates you anyway, it would be better if both of you didn't speak to one another. Scathach has already made it quite clear she wasn't interested in speaking with you." I thought to myself, but even still she had been willing to hear me out over that chess game. That was likely just a rare exception though. "Yes it was just best if we left each other alone, our relationship should be strictly professional and worked related. That way neither one of us ends up murdering the other and by that I mean that way I don't get murdered." I thought to myself as I looked down at my hand, curling it into a fist, and then I looked back up. After I brushed my teeth I made my way over to the door and reached over tapping a button on the door panel. The door slid open and revealed a familiar face that I had not seen for some while.

"Why hello there Christopher, long time no see!" Doctor Da Vinci exclaimed with a wave of the hand. My hand immediately reached over and tapped the panel again, the door swooshed closed in Doctor Da Vinci's face. "HEY!"

"No one's here!" I said through the door as banging immediately followed afterwards.

"I literally just saw you!" Doctor Da Vinci replied.

"No you're just seeing things, you're delusional! Just like the voice inside of your head right now!" I replied through the door.

"NO I'M NOT!" Doctor Da Vinci decried. A few moments passed and I remained silent which led much to Doctor Da Vinci's dismay. "Don't you want to talk to a beautiful woman?" Doctor Da Vinci asked.

"No Thanks, I'll pass." I replied and I heard an hmph from the other side. There was more pounding on the door for several more moments. Then eventually the sound of boots clicking was heard and eventually it got further and further way. By the sounds of it Doctor Da Vinci had finally given up and went on her way. "Thank god, that woman is nothing but trouble and I don't want any part of that trouble." I thought to myself as I placed my hand on my chest taking a deep breath. I reached over tapping the panel on the door once again. The door slid open and I peeked my head out into the hall, looking left to right I saw the hallway desolated. Once confirming the coast was clear, I stepped out into the hall. "Now what am I going to do today?" I thought to myself as I scratched my cheek.

After a few moments I was left standing there bewildered as I couldn't think of what I should do. I was still stuck on base until the Director cleared me to go home, and I couldn't just go to the Director whenever I pleased. She was my boss and I was just an employee, so marching into her office would be out of the question. So here I stood with no standing orders, and nobody to talk too. "I guess I'll meander my way down to the Security department and go talk with the guys, maybe check up on Anderson and see how he's doing. I'm sure the Director has been breathing down his neck since the attack a year ago." I thought to myself as I felt my feet carry me in the direction of the Security Department. Yes I think it would be good of me to get down there and check up on the guys, I've spent far too much time with women. There were only some things you could talk about and do with other guys. With my mind fully made up I made my way down to the security department with my hands in my pockets.

A Few minutes later.

After what felt like forever, I made my way towards the Security Department. The only reason why it took so long to get anywhere around Chaldea was because of the Chaldea Security checkpoints, and who knows if this extra security actually did any good or if they were just an illusion of security. It's not like anyone was going to do a study to find out whether or not they did any good. So there was no point in bitching about it, it was just an evil that I had to deal with. As I was having these thoughts I suddenly felt as someone grasped my arm and abducted me into a room.

"A-Ah!" I exclaimed as I was thrown back into the room. When I swung around I was greeted by the familiar face of Jeanne. "Oh Geez I didn't even make it out of the residential quarters. I'm never gonna be free." I thought to myself with a mental sigh.

"A-Ah to you too!" Jeanne said with her hands on her hips. Jeanne was wearing a white sweater with a large open neck, and she was wearing a pair of black leggings along with brown boots. "Where is she getting all of this clothing? I bet it's coming out of my paycheck. Curse you Director." I thought to myself angrily. "So you finally decided to come out of your room. It's been at least two days since we last spoke." Jeanne added.

"Roughly two days yes. When you're sleeping you don't really keep track." I said as I rubbed the back of my neck. "I'm already regretting my decision." I thought to myself. "Ahem, anyways is there a particular reason why you abducted me into your room?" I said as I glanced around the room. Jeanne's room was a light coffee color. Jeanne's bed was exactly the same as mine except she had a cream colored comforter, and the reading chair in the corner was brown, and her carpet matches the color of her walls. Another thing that stood out is that there was a small altar with a cross and some unlit candles. Other than that, her room wasn't that different than mine.

"I didn't abduct you; I simply brought you into my room." Jeanne said.

"It was against my will, so that's considered abduction." I said jokingly and Jeanne rubbed her temples.

"Whatever, all that matters is you're here now." Jeanne exclaimed. "You finally arose from your eternal slumber." Jeanne said and I raised an eyebrow.

"Eternal slumber..." I said.

"N-Nothing!" Jeanne said waving her hands. "Ugh this is just going wrong in every single possible way. I simply just wanted to talk to you, not make you think I was abducting you!" Jeanne said as she grasped her head and crumbled down to the ground in the crouching position. I chuckled and made my way over down to Jeanne, crouching down I reached out and patted Jeanne on the head.

"There, There Jeanne. It's fine." I said rubbing Jeanne's head. "I was only teasing you." I said and Jeanne looked up at me looking a tad irritated.

"W-Why must you always tease me Chris?" Jeanne asked.

"Because you're so cute when being teased." I said with a smile. Jeanne's face flustered and she looked away pouting.

"C-cute…" Jeanne murmured and I chuckled.

"Come on now Jeanne, you said you wanted to speak with me." I said as I rose to my feet with Jeanne. Jeanne looked back at me and nodded her head.

"Yes, please take a seat." Jeanne said gesturing towards the desk by the wall. I nodded my head and the two of us took a seat from across one another. "So what caused you to crawl out of bed this time? Mashu didn't say anything about the Director needing to speak to you." Jeanne inquired.

"No I choose to leave on my own volition." I said. "I was actually heading down to the Security Department to go chat with my friends there." I said as I rested my hands on the table.

"O-Oh! My apologies! I snatched you away when you were going somewhere." Jeanne said apologetically.

"It's fine Jeanne, It wasn't an arranged meeting or anything. I was just going to drop in on them." I said dismissively with my hand. "So anyway Jeanne, your room seems rather… kind of homely." I said looking around.

"Ah Yes I'm glad you like it Chris." Jeanne said as I returned my glance to her. "I choose everything out myself. The Director said I could choose the colors and furniture and that Chaldea would pay the bill." Jeanne said as she rubbed her hands. "At first I refused not wanting to burden Chaldea, but the Director was very insistent." Jeanne said as she closed her eyes and smiled at me. "So due to her persistence eventually I agreed." I couldn't help but chuckle as I put on a smile.

"That sounds like you Jeanne." I said still chuckling. "Ahem, but I like it. I really do, it has a very calming and relaxing atmosphere. It fits your personality Jeanne." I said nodding my head.

"T-Thank you!" Jeanne said as a red line went across her face. "The colors drew me in as they make me feel comfortable when I'm in my room." Jeanne added.

"Yes I feel the same way." I said.

"You seem so surprised by my room Chris, is yours not also to your suiting?" Jeanne inquired.

"Ha! I wish. The Director wouldn't allow it, and besides she'd never pay the bill for me." I said and Jeanne was taken aback surprised.

"That makes me feel like I'm getting special treatment now…." Jeanne murmured as she scratched her cheek.

"Don't fret about it Jeanne. Just accept the Director's kindness, she rarely gives it out." I said with a smirk. "Besides it's likely a repayment for helping us out in Orleans or it could be her way of saying she's sorry for the future Hell we're going to have to go through." I said with a chuckle, Jeanne once again rubbed her hands shyly.

"I could hardly say I did anything worthy of such thanks in Orleans." Jeanne murmured. "I just charged into battle like a big idiot and almost got you and the others killed several times, because I didn't stop and think about my actions." Jeanne said sorrowfully.

"Don't be stupid Jeanne, we've been over this plenty of times." I said and Jeanne looked up at me. "You saved our lives several times with Luminosité Eternelle, not to mention you were the one who defeated Alter Jeanne. I would have been dead several times over if it had not been for you." I said reaching over and patting Jeanne on the hand.

"You wouldn't have been put in danger in the first place if it had not been for me." Jeanne murmured and I could only laugh.

"Trust me Jeanne, I don't need you to try and get myself killed. Just ask Lancer." I said, Jeanne nodded her head and cracked weak smile. A few moments passed by before Jeanne spoke up.

"Speaking of Orleans, I wished to speak to you some more about you and my Alter self." Jeanne said looking up at me with a serious expression. I motioned with a nod of my head for her to go ahead. "I'm still a little upset that you did not divulge to me your dream that you had with my Alter self! Something like that shouldn't have been kept from me, it put me at a major bind during my battle with my Alter self. Moral and Mental wise." Jeanne said raising her fist up and I sat back blowing out air.

"Jeanne I can't stress enough how truly sorry I am." I said sincerely. "I told you that I was going to tell you about it….eventually." I said and Jeanne narrowed her eyes at me.

"Eventually being when Alter Jeanne told us in the middle of our battle." Jeanne said puffing out her cheeks as she crossed her arms. "You also saw my past and my memories without my permission too."

"It's not like I really went digging for that information, I didn't really have much of a choice but to see the things you went through. Alter Jeanne forced me too so I had no control over that dream." I exclaimed and Jeanne's eyes softened after I finished my sentence.

"Y-Yes you're right Christopher." Jeanne said with the nod of her head. "I apologize, I realize now that you didn't intentionally seek them out and they were forced upon you by my Alter self." Jeanne said apologetically.

"Thank you for understanding Jeanne, I promise you that I did not seek those memories out on my own accord and that I sincerely had planned on telling you about my dream with Alter Jeanne." I said and Jeanne nodded her head in understanding. "You also can't expect me to divulge everything to you Jeanne." I added.

"I am aware, you still have yet to reveal Lancer's identity to me." Jeanne said crossing her arms.

"I told you that if you want to learn that, you're gonna have to get Lancer to tell you." I replied throwing up my hands in response. "It would be against her wishes for me to divulge that information, and right now I'm already on thin ice with her." I said. "I think you should understand that. You didn't want me to see your memories or past, and Lancer doesn't want me to tell you her name." I said and Jeanne nodded her head agreeing with what I had said.

"What happened between you two? Your relationships seems unhealthy." Jeanne inquired.

"I don't know to be honest with you." I said throwing my hands back. Actually I had somewhat of an idea as why she hated me or was angry with me, but if that was the sole reason. Then it was a pretty stupid reason. "It's a long story, and I myself don't really understand what's going on through that woman's head. It would just be best if I left her alone." I said and Jeanne looked at me with concerned eyes.

"I-I see…" Jeanne said as she looked at me still concerned. Knowing Jeanne she was concerned about Scathach and I's relationship being so bad and was afraid that it might worsen or that we might start fighting. Then again she wasn't the only one, but I didn't really want Jeanne to worry. I smiled and reached over and patted Jeanne on the knee.

"Don't worry about it Jeanne. I'm sure things will sort themselves out in time." I said as I patted Jeanne's knee. Jeanne didn't look convinced, but hesitantly nodded her head.

"If you say so Chris." Jeanne murmured and I rubbed her knee before standing up.

"Now then, if there are no more issues. Would you like to accompany me to the Security Department?" I said looking down at Jeanne. "I'm sure the guys down there would love to meet you." I said.

"I really don't think I'm all that interesting." Jeanne said waving her hands in front of her. "Surely you'd be better off going without me, they are your friends after all." Jeanne said cracking a weak smile.

"Don't be like that Jeanne." I said grabbing Jeanne's hand and pulling her up to her feet. Jeanne gasped as I pulled her up and she stumbled forward. "Come on Jeanne, you said you wanted to learn more about this world and meet new people. And you're not going to do it in here." I said and Jeanne looked up at me with widened eyes.

"Y-Yes! You're right!" Jeanne exclaimed and I nodded my head with a smile.

"Well then let's go Jeanne! Since you're going to be working here and living here, you should meet the people work here." I said as I turned around and made my way towards the door.

"Wait Chris! Aren't you forgetting something?" Jeanne said and I stopped in my tracks before I turned around to face her, Jeanne had her hands on her hips and apparently I had forgotten something that had irked her. I scratched my cheek as I stood there thinking for a few moments on what Jeanne could possibly mean.

"Am I? I thought we had cleared everything up now regarding Orleans? Is there something else you wished to discuss?" I inquired. Jeanne rose her hand up to her face and sighed.

"No it's not about Orleans. I told you that I've come to accept and understand why you did what you did and bear no more frustration or bad feelings." Jeanne said.. "I am however referring to the promise you made back in Orleans…" Jeanne said as she tapped her fingers against her arms. I stood there continuing to scratch my cheek. After it was apparent that I wasn't sure what she meant a vein popped on the back of her head and she stepped in front of me and hit her finger against my chest before wagging her finger in front of my nose.

"I can't believe you forgot Chris!" Jeanne decried. "You promised you would teach me how to read and write!" Jeanne exclaimed.

"I didn't forget…" I said as I scratched the back of my head and Jeanne looked at me unconvinced. "I'll teach you I promise, but you can't just sit down and start teaching someone how to read and write immediately. I have to get the proper reading and teaching materials." I said as I lowered my hands and crossed my arms. "Besides I've literally only been up for an hour now." I added and Jeanne sighed.

"...Yes you're right. I apologize." Jeanne said taking a step back. "I'm just eager to start!" Jeanne added.

"Yes I know Jeanne, but we've got plenty of time though! So don't worry." I said placing my hand on her shoulder. Jeanne gave me a comforting smile and I returned my hand to my side. "We'll talk more about it later, come on then." I said jerking my thumb over my shoulder before I turned around and head towards the door.

Several Minutes Later

Jeanne and I made small talk as we made our way towards the Security department.

"Jeanne have you seen Mashu or Lancer?" I inquired deciding to start the conversation back up again and steer it away from the past and to the present day. Jeanne turned her attention to me and rose her finger up to her chin and after a moment shook her head.

"No I haven't, I'm sorry." Jeanne replied. "I've only been to breakfast, then the chapel, and then I returned to my room." Jeanne said. "Was there something you needed to speak too them about?" Jeanne inquired and I shook my head.

"No it's nothing. I was just curious as I had not seen Lancer in my room when I woke up today, and she is almost always there." I said.

"Well perhaps she is having lunch? It is almost that time." Jeanne said.

"Yeah, you could be right." I said scratching my cheek. "It's not really important, Lancer doesn't need me constantly keeping tabs on her." I said tucking my hands into my pockets. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jeanne still staring at me.

"I...I know you aren't going to divulge Lancer's true identity, but if I may at least ask you this: Did you make a pact with Lancer in Fuyuki or…?" Jeanne asked.

"No Lancer was who I originally summoned in the beginning to fight with, I was pacted with her before I made a pact with Mashu." I replied which caused Jeanne to cup her chin.

"That doesn't make any sense then, the servant you summon is supposed to be similar to you in nature when a catalyst is not used." Jeanne murmured into her hand.

"I'm not sure if I could say if we're similar in nature, but I know for certain that both of us aren't crazy. So we've got that much in common." I said jokingly. "So stop worrying about it Jeanne. We might not get along, but when it comes to work, we take our job seriously." I said placing my hand on Jeanne's shoulder. Jeanne glanced at my hand and then her eyes widened.

"Chris your command seal!" Jeanne exclaimed. "Isn't that Lancer's command seal?" Jeanne asked and I retracted my hand to look it over.

"Yeah it is…" I said.

"Didn't you use a command seal on Lancer in the battle with Gilles?" Jeanne inquired and I rubbed my hand in response.

"Yes." I replied once again.

"Then why do all three command seals still remain?" Jeanne inquired.

"Well it's hard to explain, as I really don't understand it myself." I said. "But from what I do understand, command seals under the Chaldea summoning system called Fate, they replace themselves almost instantly no matter how many times I use them. But I've only used Command seals a limited amount of times!" I exclaimed not wanting Jeanne to think I was just using Command seals all willy nilly.

"And what about my Command Seals." Jeanne inquired and I reached up to where Jeanne's command seal was and rubbed it. "Yeah I figured she would ask about hers, it would be best if I told her now." I thought to myself.

"Your Command seal…. Well your Command Seal has not returned since I used it. So they sit at two right now." I said and Jeanne narrowed her eyes. "I don't understand why yours has not returned, but when we got back and I checked. It had not returned to me, but Lancers has. I haven't used a Command Spell for Mashu so I don't know if she is the same way." I said lowering my hands back into my pockets. "I don't really want too either." I added.

"I see well perhaps the Director or Doctor might know?" Jeanne suggested.

"Perhaps, I'll have to ask her whenever I get the chance." I said.

"In the meantime you should be careful." Jeanne said.

"Yeah I know, I try to be conservative with my Command Seals anyway. You don't need to remind me." I said just as we reached the security department wing and the doors swooshed open. The Security department looked deserted with only a few people's heads poking out from their desk and a few guys chatting in the corner. We must have caught their attention, because as soon as we did they waved at us. I returned their wave with a smile and I felt the wind on my back as the doors closed behind me.

Jeanne and I walked up to them greeting them with friendly smiles.

"Gerald, Adam, Erik." I said greeting each one of the guys.

"Hey Chris." Gerald said with a friendly smile. I extended my hand and Gerald grasped it firmly and we shook.

"What brings you down here to grace us with your presence?" Adam said as he slapped me on the shoulder with a cheeky grin. Adam and I shook hands as well.

"Well I still work here believe it or not, my office is even somewhere around here last time I check." I said. "Unless you guys used my desk for firewood to warm your asses during the Chaldea Winters." I said jokingly and all of us laughed.

"It's good to see you Commander." Erik said extending his hand. I reached out and grasped his hand as well giving it a firm shake. Erik was a blonde haired white male while Adam was a brown haired white male, lastly Gerald was a taller gentleman of African American descent. Each of them was wearing white collared up shirts with black pants and shoes, while they each sported a different collared tie. The usual attire for off duty Male Security officers at Chaldea.

"It's good to see all of you. I was just dropping by to make sure you guys were staying out of trouble." I said with a cheeky smile as the guys all chuckled at the joke. The guys would regularly be getting into mischief around the base.

"So Chris are you going to introduce us to the beautiful young lady behind you or are you just going to leave us grunts in anticipation." Adam said and I looked over my shoulder to see Jeanne standing partially behind me silently.

"Oh sorry about that." I said clearing my throat as I stepped to the side. "This blonde lady is my friend and partner." I said.

"I am Jeanne D'arc. It is a pleasure to meet some of Chris's friends." Jeanne introduced herself and extended her hand. Adam reached out and grasped her hand, shaking it.

"Ms. D'arc it's a true pleasure to meet you. You're far friendlier than Chris's redheaded partner." Adam said with a warm smile. I could only roll my eyes as I imagined Adam had tried to talk up Scathach.

"Please just call me Jeanne, Ms. D'arc is far too formal." Jeanne said with a flustered faced as she retracted her hand.

"Jeanne, it's nice to meet you." Erik said as Jeanne and he shook hands. "Thank you for keeping the Commander safe during the Singularity." Erik added.

"Of course Erik, I will always do my best to make sure Chris is safe." Jeanne said with a nod of head.

"Jeanne as a Catholic it's a great honor to meet a Holy Saint such as yourself." Gerald said extending his hand; Jeanne grasped his hand and firmly shook.

"Please don't think so highly of me, I'm just an ordinary girl. There really is nothing special of me." Jeanne said with a wave of her hand as she closed her eyes and smiled. "Jeanne is still as humble as always." I thought to myself with a sigh.

"You shouldn't think so lowly of yourself Jeanne, I have nothing but the greatest respect for you! As do all of us who believe in the Catholic faith." Gerald said and added. "You are a revered Saint after all."

"Thank you, your kind words mean a lot to me." Jeanne said as she cupped her cheek. "But please just think of me as an ordinary girl, I would appreciate it greatly." Jeanne said.

"You are most kind and modest Jeanne." Gerald said. "If that is what you would prefer than I shall treat you as such." Gerald said with a smile.

"Thank you." Jeanne replied with a nod of her head. The Five of us continued chatting for at least half an hour talking back and forth. Our conversation mostly revolved around Jeanne as the guys asked questions about her as a servant, her abilities, and powers. It was also apparent Gerald wanted to talk to Jeanne about the Catholic faith, but I guess decided now was not the time or the place to talk about it. We also discussed the Singularity in Orleans, at least as much as we could divulge without getting in trouble. There were also some laughs when Jeanne told them about some of the times Jeanne came to my rescue. Eventually it was time for the guys to get back to work. Jeanne and I said our goodbyes and watched as the guys went off back to work.

"Your friends seem really nice Chris!" Jeanne said turning around to face me after watching the guys disappear into the armory.

"I'm glad you liked them, I'm sure you'll be seeing them more." I said crossing my arms in amusement. "They're your friends now too by the way, they seemed to enjoy speaking to you. Especially Gerald, he seemed like he wanted to talk to you about the Catholic Faith." I said and Jeanne smiled in response.

"Yes it seemed so, I'll have to speak with him later." Jeanne said.

"You know Jeanne you really are humble." I said and Jeanne looked at me with a curious expression. "Anytime anyone talks about you being a Saint or praises you, you always downplay yourself." I said as I stroke my cheek in amusement.

"That's because I don't want to be treated like a Saint! I just want to be treated like a normal girl." Jeanne exclaimed with raised fist. I only chuckled in response which earned me a pout from Jeanne.

"You certainly are a normal girl Jeanne, a Normal girl with the strength of 20 men." I said as I turned around and made my way down the line of desk. I heard Jeanne's footsteps follow in behind me.

"I don't make the rules of Heroic spirits or the Throne of Heroes." Jeanne exclaimed. "I never used to be this strong you know." Jeanne added.

"Yes Yes I know Jeanne. I'm only teasing you." I said amusingly as I stepped into an office cube where my desk and computer were. I pulled out my chair and sat down before I swiveled around to face Jeanne who was standing into the entrance of my office cubicle. Jeanne glanced around my office space before stepping into the cubicle.

"Is this where you work Chris?" Jeanne inquired.

"Yeah this is it." I said as I leaned back in my chair with my hands behind my head.

"It seems rather cramped." Jeanne murmured and I could only shrug.

"It is what it is." I replied. "We're only security officers so they don't give us large offices as we spend very little time here." I explained. "Well except when you're me and they dump tons of paperwork on you." I murmured under my breath and Jeanne tilted her head.

"Paperwork? Did you not see much combat beforehand?" Jeanne inquired. "That wouldn't make sense though, as you seemed very capable in Orleans." Jeanne added and I sighed.

"No I saw plenty of combat beforehand, but I ended up getting pretty injured before I started fighting in these singularities. So they put me on desk duty for several months, nothing to do but paperwork." I explained and Jeanne emitted an ohhh sound from her lips. Jeanne propped herself up and took a seat on my desk as she looked out over the walls of my cubicle. Her gaze eventually returned back towards me as she kicked her feet back and forth, it reminded me of another certain girl who use to always sit up on my desk…

"Chris, Erik referred to you as a Commander. Is that really your rank?" Jeanne inquired and I snapped back to reality.

"It's hard to explain the ranking at Chaldea, but yes my rank within our organization is Commander." I said. "It's not like an actual Commander rank in the military where I would be commanding hundreds if not thousands of soldiers, instead there are at least several commanders in the security department who head up several different divisions of around 20-30 men and women each." I explained. "Below of Commander there are Lieutenants who serve as second in command and then there are the Sergeant Majors who command all the Sergeants, then there are the Sergeants who lead squads of five. Commanders are obviously in charge of the entire unit. Commanders however report to Colonel Anderson who heads up this Security Department." I said and Jeanne nodded her head in understanding. It was no surprise that she understood, considering Jeanne was once in the Military. Albeit a Military at a different time and a different country, but I'm sure she understood the basics of Command.

"Who is your Lieutenant?" Jeanne inquired. I felt myself flinch as I froze up and I felt a lump in my throat. I sat there in silence for several moments just staring at Jeanne as I was unable to speak. "Chris?" Jeanne exclaimed with a worrisome expression on her face.

"... I don't have a Lieutenant." I finally managed to spit out and my eyes blinked rapidly.

"O-Oh… Why is that may I ask?" Jeanne inquired.

"I guess… I guess Chaldea just never got around to assigning me one." I said. "Probably because nobody wants to have to put up with me." I said laughing it off, Jeanne however didn't seem very convinced. Despite that, a few moments passed and Jeanne apparently decided not to investigate any further.

"So what exactly does the Security Department do?" Jeanne asked and I finally felt myself able to breathe seeing that Jeanne was changing topics.

"Well the Security Department is basically the Chaldea Military, it's a bit difficult to explain." I said as I scratched my cheek. "The overall Military of Chaldea is comparable to that of a small Private Army. We have at least a few thousand soldiers spread across our bases around the globe." I explained. "The Security Department is as the name suggest tasked with with the Security of the bases, however it's not accurate to say all we do is protect the bases." I said before continuing. "We are tasked with carrying out special operations or missions handed down to us by the Director…" I explained. "The Security Department here at the main base is usually tasked with carrying out the more dangerous and highly specialized operations." I went on. "These usually are missions that are carried out by partners of two or squads made up of 5 people, or all 20-30 people as a strike force if need be…. We are like the scalpel of the Security Department. We are made up of several highly skilled mages who are specialized in different types of magecraft" I said as I rubbed my hands. "However if an operation calls for a hammer instead of a scalpel you have the General who heads up the entire Security Department. If the hammer is ever needed she will lead the main force of the Security Department who are made up of lesser skilled mages, but are still trained deadly soldiers." I explained and took a deep breath after finishing my explanation.

"So that means if you were chosen for this specific Security Department you must be specialist in a certain magecraft." Jeanne inquired. "So if so then what are you a specialist in?" Jeanne asked and just I was about to open my mouth to respond. Someone interrupted me...

"He's a specialist at slacking off." A familiar voice spoke up and I snapped my attention at the man who stood to the entrance. Jeanne turned to face the voice as well and we were greeted by a sharply dressed male who stood straight around my height if not a bit taller.

"Speaking of the man in charge, here he is. Colonel Anderson." I said introducing the striking British fellow.

"Mr. Anderson, it's a pleasure to meet you. Chris was just explaining to me about the Security Department and the Personal here." Jeanne said as she got off the desk and extended her hand. Anderson grasped Jeanne's hand and they firmly shook.

"Hopefully he was only telling you good things." Anderson said glancing at me.

"Oh Yes! Of course!" Jeanne exclaimed.

"That's good to hear." Anderson said with a smile and nod of his head. "Now I hate to cut the formalities short Ms. D'arc." Anderson said as he retracted his hand to his side. "But the Director wishes to speak to you, Chris. In her office." Anderson said looking at me. I blew out air and grasped my knees as I pushed myself up out of my seat.

"Understood, Thanks Anderson." I said with the nod of my head. "Come on Jeanne, its best if we don't keep the Director waiting." I said walking past Jeanne and Anderson.

"Okay Chris!" Jeanne said. "It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Anderson, I hope we meet again." Jeanne exclaimed with a bow of her head before she hurried to catch up to me..

A Few Minutes Later

It was a silent walk for the most part with some idle chatter between each other, but eventually we reached the hallway leading towards the Directors office with it's many glass windows that revealed the snowy conditions outside. Jeanne looked my way to look outside and after a moment she turned her gaze at me. Jeanne rose her hand up to her mouth and then out of the blue started to chuckle.

"What? What are you laughing about Jeanne?" I said with an inquisitive tone.

"Oh it's nothing Chris, it's just that you're starting to look like a caveman with that beard you're growing." Jeanne said as she chuckled. "You really should shave." I scratched my cheek feeling the rough stubble that was beginning to form.

"It's not a beard…. I mean sure I haven't shaved in 3 weeks. But I could probably go a month and half or two without having a full beard." I murmured still scratching my cheeks. "But I'll shave if you prefer me clean shaven." I said which caused Jeanne to blush a little and she twirled her finger around in her hair.

During our short talk we had arrived outside of the Director's door where two Soldiers stood guard outside. Jeanne and I presented our identification to the guards and they waved us through. The doors swooshed open welcome us to an overwhelming feeling of comfort. It engulfed Jeanne and I in a soft warmth that you couldn't help but unravel too. The source was none other than the blazing fireplace across from the couch in her office. The Director was found sitting at her desk as always. I felt as the door closed behind us and we stood in the doorway waiting for the Director to take notice. Out of the corner of my eye I watched as Jeanne's gaze wandered around the room in awe.

"I see you two, no need to await for my approval to come over here." Olga said and our attention snapped towards her. Olga seemed to have her nose down in her work as she was writing something. "Come on now, I don't have all day." Olga said. Jeanne and I glanced at each other before we hurried over to her desk and stood at attention in front of her.

"You needed me Director? We came as quickly as we could." I said and Olga finished whatever she was writing and placed her pen down. Olga looked up at us and crossed her arms.

"Yes, this won't take long." Olga said. "I just wanted to let you know that you won't be needed for a while until the next singularity. So you're now free to head on home, as always I'll contact you when it's time for the next singularity." Olga said.

"Understood Director." I said as I placed my hands behind my back.

"W...Wait go home?" Jeanne murmured and her gaze averted towards me.

"Yes Jeanne, It's not like I live here." I said. "My home is back in America, it's where I spend most of the year when I'm not working." I explained.

"Will I be accompanying you to America?" Jeanne asked eagerly. Before I could even respond the Director interrupted me.

"About that. Christopher, I discussed it with Doctor Roman, and we both feel it would be best if you only have Two Servants pacted with you outside of the Singularities." Olga said. As soon as Olga finished her sentence I immediately saw out of the corner of my eyes a frown form on Jeanne's lips and her eyes saddened. "This is too mitigate the mana draw on your body. While your body has adjusted to three servants drawing on your mana, we still feel it would be in your best interest to keep it at two outside of the Singularities for health reasons." Olga said and then her eyes seemed to flicker. "...We also feel it would be in Chaldea's Security interest to keep one servant on the base at all times." Olga said and turned towards Jeanne. "Jeanne I hope you'll understand, but we must take Chris's well being and the security of Chaldea into account." Olga said. Jeanne remained silent for a few moments standing there with a saddened look on her face.

"I...I understand Director." Jeanne eventually spurted out as she kept her gaze downwards.

"It is only while Christopher is away from Base. Please don't fret, during missions your Command seals will be returned back to him." Olga said.

"Director speaking about Command Seals, there is something I wanted to ask you." I said and the Director snapped her attention towards me.

"Yes what is it?" Olga said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well it's about Jeanne's Command Seal…. You remember how I used one during her fight against Alter Jeanne?" I asked and Olga nodded her head. "Well the Command Spell I used hasn't returned, but the one I used for Lancer has." I said as I reached up and rubbed the spot where Jeanne's Command Seal was. Olga sat there in silence for a few moments as she cupped her chin and a low hmm emitted from her lips.

"Well I think I have a good idea of why that is." Olga said finally speaking up. "Lancer's Command Seal was the one you received from Chaldea correct?" Olga asked and I nodded my head. "And the Command Seal for Jeanne was received by forming a Pact with her in Orleans. So since it was not a Command Seal given to you by Chaldea that means that it acts like a Normal Command Seal, simple as that." Olga said I scratched the back of my head. "Geez it was that simple? I feel like an idiot for not being able to figure that out on my own." I thought to myself.

"I understand now Director. Thank you." I said.

"All it means is you will have to be careful with Jeanne's two remaining Command Seals, and I think it's safe to say the same can probably be said for Mashu." Olga said and I nodded my head.

"Understood." I said. Jeanne had remained quiet during that entirety of that conversation, seeming to be distraught.

"Now then, report down to Doctor Roman's office where he will transfer Jeanne's Command seal to himself until you return for the next singularity." Olga said. "I assume you'll be rest assured that Jeanne will be in safe hands with Doctor Roman?" Olga said raising an eyebrow.

"Of course Director! There isn't a man I wouldn't trust more with Jeanne's Command seals than Doctor Roman." I said.

"That's worrisome that you'd trust that man…." Olga murmured. "But No matter. That's all I have to say to you for now. So I hope you enjoy the rest of the year home. I have no doubt you will, after what you went through in the singularity." Olga said. "You're dismissed Operative. Your flight home leaves tomorrow." Olga said and I gave the Director a salute. The Director returned my salute with a dismissive salute of her own. I lowered my hand back down to my side once she did.

"Come on Jeanne let's go." I said placing my hand on Jeanne's shoulder. Jeanne didn't say anything, but only nodded her head silently. I lead Jeanne to the door and we left with the door closing behind us…

We had put distance between ourselves and the Director's office. However even then Jeanne had continued to remain silent with a her lips locked into a frown and her eyes saddened. Seeing Jeanne like this was starting to depress me so I decided to speak up.

"Jeanne I know that you're unpleased with having to be left behind, but I wouldn't have been able to bring you home with me anyway. My home couldn't fit four people, there's barely enough room for three people." I said. Jeanne's face only appeared to sadden more, and I mentally smacked myself in the face in realization at what I had said. "That was a stupid thing to say Chris." I thought to myself.

"I'm fine Chris honest, I understand. I don't want to put your health at risk." Jeanne said looking up at me with a weak smile. "I'll be fine here at Chaldea until you get back, honest."

"You're a bad liar Jeanne." I said. I wasn't buying Jeanne's weak smile and words for a second, Jeanne was clearly not happy about leaving left behind.

"I-I'm not lying!" Jeanne stuttered.

"You can't even lie about not lying!" I exclaimed and Jeanne ruffled her eyebrows. "Listen Jeanne I understand you're upset, but I promise that I'll keep in touch with you." I said reaching over and ruffling her hair. "And I'll spend the rest of the day with you." I added. Jeanne only grumbled and rose her fist up.

"I want to see what the world has become and I can't do it here at base." Jeanne said pouting.

"I promise Jeanne, I'll take you away from Chaldea whenever I can." I said. "Nothing is stopping me from coming back to base and visiting you and taking you away from here from time to time. Until then please just bear with it and get use to the modern world. When things settle down and you're use to things we'll go on a vacation the four of us." I said.

"O-Okay, but promise me!" Jeanne said stepping in front of me and getting up in my face.

"I promise Jeanne, you have my word." I said placing my hand on my chest.

"Very well then, I'll be holding you too that promise." Jeanne said.

A Few Minutes passed.

After our promise, Jeanne and I chatted along the way to the Doctors office. It wasn't long until we had reached our destination and stood in front of the door. Jeanne glanced at the door and then back at me, something seeming to bother her.

"Chris are you sure that your Command Seals will be safe with Doctor Roman?" Jeanne asked. "While he seems like a good man, I've had limited interaction with him." Jeanne said and I stroked my chin.

"Well I've known Doctor Roman ever since I started working here. He's a pretty upstanding guy, although be it he can be a bit weird from time to time." I said. "However I've never known him to do anything bad or mistreat anyone. Roman is pretty much friends with everyone." I said. "Mashu has known him longer than I have it seems, so if you have any questions she might be able to answer them." I added.

"...Okay Chris, If you'll vouch for him. I'll put my faith in him till you return." Jeanne said nodding her head and she prepared to enter the room. I rose my hand up to her chest and stopped her from going in. Jeanne snapped her attention to me a little taken aback.

"I trust Roman, but to be on the safe side. Just don't take any orders from him unless Chaldea comes under attack. Okay?" I said and Jeanne nodded her head.

"Please rest assured Chris, my loyalty lies with you so it is only you who I will take orders from. I would never betray you, I swear that on my honor as a Knight." Jeanne said placing her hand on her chest.

"I know you never would Jeanne." I said placing my hand on her chest. "I don't think Roman would ever betray I or Chaldea, I only say that incase Roman tries to make you do anything weird." I said jokingly as I scratch my cheek. Worry overtakes Jeanne and she ruffles her eyebrows. "Don't worry Jeanne, if he does try anything just ignore him and be sure to tell me about it. I'll give him a good thrashing." I said with a hearty laugh.

"Th-That won't be necessary Chris, if he does give me any trouble I'll handle it." Jeanne said and she stepped inside of the Doctor's office.

I follow Jeanne inside and we find Roman sitting at his desk shifting through paperwork. Once we enter Roman looks up from his work and stands up.

"Chris, Jeanne there you are!" Roman exclaimed. "The Director informed me that you were on your way." Roman said as we walked up to his desk. "It's nice to see the Mountain Man has left his cabin." Roman said jokingly and Jeanne chuckled. I rubbed my cheek with a less than amused expression. "Alright geez I guess I really should shave, if this many people are hounding me about it. Scathach doesn't seem to say anything about it to me… though I doubt she notices or cares." I thought to myself.

"Do you have a Doctor's Degree in Medicine or Comedy, Doctor?" I replied jokingly. "Because whenever you're done being a Comedian, we'd like the Medicine Doctor back." I said which only earned me an amused look from the Doctor.

"The Medicine Doctor will come out whenever you lose the Mountain Man look Christopher." Roman said chuckling.

"Geez could you stop harping me about it, you two both act like you've never seen bearded men before in your life. They're plentiful in the Middle of America, parts of Europe, and Russia." I said tucking my hands into my pockets.

"It's not that I've never seen guys with beards before Chris, it's just that having a beard doesn't suit you." Jeanne said with her hand up to her mouth chuckling.

"It's not even a full beard yet!" I exclaimed. Roman and Jeanne both just chuckled in response. "Psh I didn't need to worry about anything, these two seemed like they were going to get along just fine." I thought to myself.

"Well anyway. You guys didn't come here to hear my bad jokes." Roman said and stood up, walking around his desk he made his way over to one of the hospital beds. "Let's start the Command Seal transfer like the Director ordered." Roman said.

"Right." Jeanne and I both said simultaneously.

"Jeanne take a seat on the bed over there, and Chris come over here." Roman said. Jeanne nodded her head and walked over to the bed taking a seat, I walked over and stood in front of Roman. "Jeanne I know you probably have reservations about having your command seals transferred to another person, but I promise you that I won't do anything to you other than supply you with mana." Roman said trying to reassure Jeanne who still seemed to be a little hesitant. "Once Chris returns I shall transfer your command seals back to him." Roman said and Jeanne nodded her head.

"I understand Doctor Roman, Chris has vouched for you so I will put my life in your hands until he comes back." Jeanne said and Roman glanced at me with an amused grin.

"Now then Chris roll up your sleeve and show me your command seals." Roman said and I obliged. Rolling up my sleeve I presented the two command seals left on my shoulder. "This won't take more than a minute. You both consent to the transfer?" Roman asked.

"Yes." Jeanne and I said in unison.

"Hmm the Director mentioned that Jeanne's Command Seals were now down to two." Roman said rubbing his chin. "Well it can't be helped. Now then. I'll begin the Command Seal Transfer." Roman said reaching out with his right hand, he placed it on my shoulder where Jeanne's command seal was. Roman closed his eyes and a full minute passed us by and then a there was red flash that came from underneath Roman's white gloves. Roman opened his eyes and retracted his hand back to his side. "The Command seal transfer is complete. There should now be less of a drain on your mana levels Chris, you'll now feel a little more refreshed and less sleepy than usual." Roman said and I glanced down to my shoulder to see Jeanne's Command seals had disappeared. I rolled down my sleeve and looked down at Jeanne.

"Jeanne how are you feeling?" I asked and Jeanne looked up at me.

"I'm feeling fine Chris, the transition went smoothly without any problem." Jeanne replied. "I'm in your hands now Doctor Roman." Jeanne said glancing at Roman.

"Please pay me no mind, you don't even need to talk to me or come and see me. I'm just here to simply supply you with mana until Chris returns." Roman said waving his hands. "As far as you need be concerned, Chris is still your Master." Roman said. Jeanne stood up and nodded her head at Doctor Roman.

"Thank you Roman." Jeanne said. "Now if there's no more to be done, Chris promised he'd hang out with me the rest of the day." Jeanne said.

"Well I'd like to check your vitals and mana levels to make sure everything did indeed go smoothly, but if you say there are no problems I won't press you on it." Roman said tucking his hands into his pockets.

"Jeanne why don't you and I go have lunch together." I said directing my attention towards her. Jeanne's face brightened up at my words and she clutched my side with excitement.

"Yes I'd like that very much!" Jeanne exclaimed.

"Alright then, why don't you run along to the cafeteria. I'll catch up with you in a minute." I said and Jeanne nodded her head a little bit reluctantly.

"Okay!" Jeanne said. Jeanne let go of my side and headed out of the room.

Once I watched Jeanne leave the room and a few minutes had passed I turned around to face Roman who had taken a seat behind his desk.

"You better take good care of Jeanne. If I hear you did anything weird to Jeanne I'll tell the Director about all those times I covered for you while you were slacking off." I said jokingly and Roman chuckled.

"Don't worry Chris, she's in safe hands with me." Roman said "...It's good to know you're saying nice things about me to other people. Especially so if Jeanne was okay me having her command seals." Roman said.

"Well don't let it get to your head Roman, I was just reassuring Jeanne." I said with a grin as I tucked my hands into my pockets. "If she knew you as well as I did, she would have been half way across the arctic by now." I said and Roman laughed. A few moments passed by and Roman intertwined his fingers and stared at me.

"So what is it that you wish to speak to me about Chris? It must be somewhat important if you wanted to speak to me in private about it." Roman said and I started at him silently for a moment.

"It's not that big of a deal. I have a favor to ask of you Roman…" I said.

"A favor?" Roman said raising an eyebrow.

"Yes a favor Roman." I repeated. "I promised Jeanne that I would teach her how to read and write back in Orleans, but I can't do that if I'm going to be home most of the time. So I'd appreciate it if you could teach her how to do that while I'm away." I said.

"Woah Woah, you want me to teach someone how to read and write? Do you know how much time that would take?" Roman said. "I've already got my work cut out for me with work and also I gotta work with Doctor Da Vinci on Shiva and Chaldea." Roman said waving his hands.

"Come on Roman, please!" I pleaded. "I'll repay you the favor, no matter what it is that you want, within reason, I'll repay you. I'll owe you a favor, and you know I'm good for it!" I exclaimed. I had to keep my promise to Jeanne, so no matter what Roman wanted I'd repay it so long as he helped me fulfill my promise to Jeanne.

Roman stared at me intently for a few minutes as he seemed to ponder on my request. Finally Roman lifted his head up from his hands and spoke up. "Alright Chris, I'll make time to teach Jeanne." Roman said and my face brightened up. "But you better repay me when the time comes." Roman said leaning back and pointing his finger at me.

"Thank you Roman." I said nodding my head. "Whenever it is that you want to cash in your favor, I'll repay the favor! I promise!" I said.

"Yeah, Yeah. Now get out of here, I have to get back to work." Roman said waving his hand at me dismissively. "You best enjoy the rest of your day with Jeanne, before you go back to being tormented by Lancer." Roman added before he turned to face his computer monitor. I rose my hand up to my mouth and chuckled. Wishing Roman farewell, I turned around and made my way towards the door leaving the Doctor to his work...

* * *

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	5. Chapter Five Homeward Bound

**Chapter Five**

**Homeward Bound**

* * *

Something didn't feel right, not right at all. It felt as if air was having trouble making its way into my body. It was getting hard to breathe and things were starting to become dizzy. My eyes snapped wide open to see a pair of fingers pinching my nose shut. Looking down upon me were the cold eyes of my eternal torment manifested in reality again.

Scathach released my nostrils once she saw that I had awoken and air flooded my nostrils, relief washing over me now that one of my air passages wasn't blocked. I raised my hand up to my head as the spinning slowly ceased and out of the corner of my eye I glanced at Scathach. Scathach was standing over me wearing her red trench coat and black boots, tucked in between her arms were the books she had been reading.

"Are you trying to suffocate me Scathach by cutting off one of my airways?" I said as sat up in bed. Scathach only turned her back towards me and made her way towards the door.

"Our flight is leaving in a few minutes. And I've already spent more time here than I really wanted too. So hurry up." Scathach said just before she walked out of the room. I scratched my head in frustration as I watched her make her exit.

"That woman, I swear she's going to be the Death of me." I murmured as I ran my hand through my hair…

Getting out of bed I reached under the nightstand and pulled out my handgun in its holster and slid my arms into it before standing up. Upon sliding into my shoes I made my way over to mirror and brushed my teeth. I stared at myself in the mirror and scratched my cheek. "Might as well do it now so I don't have to do it when I get home." I thought to myself as picked up the bottle of shaving cream and my razor. Applying shaving cream to my face I began delicately running the blade down my cheeks.

Looking at myself in the mirror I looked much fresher with a clean shave. Now that nobody could bitch anymore about my facial hair, I headed over to the closet and the door slide open. Reaching in I grasped my tie and suit jacket I put them on over my white buttoned shirt as usual. Once I had buttoned up my suit jacket I reached up and pulled my blue jacket and green scarf out, putting them on I made my way over to the door. I tapped a button on the side panel and the lights flickered off as I left the room. The door closing behind me I made my way towards the helipads with my hands in my pockets.

A Few Minutes later.

After the usual stroll through checkpoints and the spanning halls of Chaldea I grew closer to the Helipads. Looking up I saw Scathach and Mashu standing in front of dual sliding doors leading outside. Scathach had her arms crossed with the usual unamused expression, apparently displeased that I had not ran here in a full sprint in accordance with her wishes of wanting me to hurry up. Meanwhile Mashu stood next to Scathach waving at me with a friendly smile on her face, always the pleasant light there to overshadow the darkness. Standing by Mashu's feet was the white fur ball Four, sitting there patiently as if he was waiting for me. "That fur ball better not think I'm taking him with me…. Actually maybe if I do Shadow will eat him." I thought to myself, but then shook my head. That would certainly displease Mashu if Shadow ate Four.

"Good Morning Senpai!" Mashu greeted me as I approached them.

"Good Morning Mashu." I replied returning her warm smile.

"Did you sleep well?" Mashu inquired.

"Well kind of, but I had a rude awakening." I said glancing at Scathach out of the corner of my eye. Scathach appeared to pay me no mind as she fixed her gaze elsewhere with her arms crossed.

"Oh my I sure hope it wasn't Four again." Mashu said gasping with her hand up to her mouth. I glanced down at Four who yawned at me innocently as if yesterday had never happened.

"No not this time." I said crossing my arms. Mashu glanced down at Four as well and then back up at me.

"Yes Four said he would like to apologize for yesterday, he didn't mean to frighten you." Mashu said and I looked up at Mashu. "Four simply wanted to escape to somewhere away from the likes of Doctor Roman or Doctor Da Vinci." Mashu said.

"Is that why Doctor Da Vinci was waiting outside of my room?" I said glancing down at Four once more.

"Fou?" Four replied tilting his head as he looked up at me.

"Four said he didn't have anything to do with that." Mashu said and I returned my gaze towards her. "So I guess that means that woman or guy or whatever really did come to my room to speak to me." I thought to myself. I looked down at Four who was apparently staring right back up at me, I stood there and scratched my cheek for a few moments.

"Very well then Four. I accept your apology." I said.

"Fou~" Four replied.

"Just make sure next time you let me know you need to bunker down in my room." I said as I crossed my arms. "It's fine if you stay in my room, but I don't want you to almost give me another concussion." I added.

"Fou Four!" Four exclaimed.

"Four says Thank you for accepting his apology, and he promises to let you know next time he is in need of refuge in your room." Mashu said.

"Thanks Four." I said nodding my head. It then struck me that I was having a conversation with a small dog who couldn't even talk. "Seriously, what has my life become now that I'm talking to an animal?" I thought to myself as I scratched my head.

Scathach's snide voice came from behind me. "If you're done Mr. Dog Whisperer, can we….."

Before Scathach could finish her sentence she was abruptly cut off.

"Wwwwwwwwaaaaaiiiiitttttttttttttt!" A familiar voice cried out and I turned around to see Jeanne rushing towards us. Jeanne was wearing her white turtleneck along with her jacket, skirt, purple stockings and brown boots today. Roman was following behind Jeanne, be it at a slower pace, but he had apparently accompanied Jeanne here. Jeanne rushed towards me and came to a stop in front of me. Jeanne's grasped her chest as she breathed in and out heavily for a few moments before she spoke up.

"Chris wait…" Jeanne finally said before taking a gulp of air. "I wanted to see you off before you set off for home." Jeanne said.

"Jeanne I'm glad I could get to see you before I set off." I said greeting Jeanne with a smile. Jeanne returned my smile as she brushed her hair out of her face. Jeanne and I stood there in awkward silence for a few moments, and it wasn't until I cleared my throat before Jeanne spoke up.

"A-ah I hope you have a safe trip home! Make sure to take care of yourself and I hope you are able to relax." Jeanne said with what appeared to be a forced smile, her smile fracturing as signs of sadness appeared to creep onto her face. I placed my hand on her shoulder and rubbed it affectionately.

"Jeanne I know you're still sad…." I said and Jeanne's fake smile disappeared and turned into a frown as she nodded her head.

"Yes I still desperately wish I could accompany you!" Jeanne exclaimed and I smiled at Jeanne's eagerness.

"I know you do, but just bear with it for now. I can't promise I'll be able to visit you this year, but I promise when things have settled down, I'll take you away from here to visit the world." I said stroking Jeanne's shoulder.

"I want to see your home!" Jeanne exclaimed.

"Yes Jeanne, If that is where you wish to see I'll take you there." I said reassuringly. "Just bear with it for now okay. Please?" I said. Jeanne ruffled her eyebrows and made a pouting face.

"But what am I to do here in Chaldea for a whole year?" Jeanne murmured. Jeanne was once again beginning to sound like a certain girl, but Jeanne had been here for only a week while the other had been here for months on end...

"There are plenty of things to do here in Chaldea, plenty of employees here make Chaldea their home for a year to months at a time." I said reaching up and patting Jeanne on the head. "Chaldea offers a Gym for you stay in shape, and they also offer a vast array of other recreational activities." I said. "However Jeanne you should spend your time learning how to read and write this year, I've asked Doctor Roman to teach you reading and writing in my place." I said and Jeanne looked up at me surprised and also looking a little disappointed. "I know I said I would do it, but with my limited time here it would not be fair to you. So please Jeanne do your best and when I get back I expect you to be writing essays and reading novels." I said amusingly as I ruffled her hair. Suddenly Jeanne buried her face into my chest; wrapping her arms around me she embraced me into a hug.

"Thank you Chris!" Jeanne exclaimed.

"It's no problem Jeanne really!" I said still taken aback a little, but eventually I placed my hands on Jeanne's back and hugged her in return. Jeanne appeared unmoving however and remained buried in my chest for at least a full minute. "Oomph!" I murmured suddenly as I felt Jeanne tighten her grip around me. "Jeanne…. You're squeezing me too tight!" I exclaimed. After saying that Jeanne's grip on my loosened and Jeanne looked up with soft eyes.

"Sorry Chris, that was just my farewell hug." Jeanne replied.

"It's not forever Jeanne, I'll be back before you know it." I said as I pulled Jeanne into another hug and patted her on the back. "Remember, better be reading Shakespeare when I get back."

Jeanne giggled in my chest as I rubbed her on the back. "I'm not sure who that is, but I'll do my best. I promise you Chris." Jeanne said as she pulled away from me.

"That's what I want to hear." I said smiling. Jeanne and I stared at each other for a few moments as we grasped one another's arms.

"Be safe please Chris." Jeanne said as she returned my smile.

"I'll be fine Jeanne. I have Lancer and Mashu with me so please be rest assured." I said jerking my thumb over at Lancer who had her back to us as she looked out the sliding doors into the cold abyss. "Now I'm sure you want to say your farewells to Mashu as well." I said and Jeanne nodded her head in affirmation. Jeanne and I let go one another, and Jeanne slid past me to go talk to Mashu. I watched as Mashu and Jeanne embraced each other in a warm hug before I heard footsteps come from my side. I turned to see Roman standing beside me. Roman watched as Mashu and Jeanne hugged one another.

"So should I be teaching Jeanne how to read and write in English or French?" Roman inquired. I turned my attention to Roman and crossed my arms.

"Well can you read and write French, Roman?" I asked raising an eyebrow at Roman.

"No." Roman replied.

"Well neither can I, so teach her to read and write English Roman." I said smacking Roman in the shoulder with the back of my hand. Roman pulled his arm back and rubbed it.

"Owe!" Roman exclaimed. "You didn't need to hit me, that's not very nice!" Roman said.

"Oh don't be such a baby Roman, I'm sure the Director hits you a lot harder than I do." I said and Roman rose his hand up to his mouth as he chuckled.

"That is true." Roman said with a chuckle. "Anyway stay safe Chris, and don't get into trouble…" Roman said and then leaned in towards my ear. "That especially means between you and Lancer, you two teamwork was pretty shoddy during the Singularity." Roman whispered into my ear. I glanced over my shoulder at Scathach and then returned it to Roman.

"I don't know what you're talking about Roman. Lancer followed my orders and we got things done in Orleans." I said.

"Barely, she only followed your orders after the two of you would bicker at each other for a few hours." Roman whispered.

"It wasn't a few hours, you're exaggerating Roman." I whispered in reply.

"Just don't make it any worse okay?" Roman said and I grudgingly nodded my head.

"Yeah okay Roman, I'll try my best." I replied. "But tell that to her! She's the one who's super aggressive and unreasonable!" I exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"Relationships work both ways Chris, so don't throw all of the blame on her." Roman replied with a stern expression.

"Alright! I get it okay! Just get out of my hair!" I replied. "It was my plan for us to return to a professional relationship." I said in a hushed tone.

"Well let me know how that works out." Roman said as he stood up straight and crossed his arms. "Anyways look after Mashu will you? I'll see you when you get back." Roman said.

"Hopefully that won't be too soon." I said amusingly. "Anyway of course I'll take care of Mashu. I always do." I added as I tucked my hands into my pockets.

"Just making sure. Mashu may be your servant, but she still is a teenage girl." Roman added.

"You don't need to remind me of that. However I suppose one could forget that, as she certainly doesn't act like girls her ages." I said looking over my shoulder at Mashu who was chatting with Jeanne.

"Well anyways…" Roman said and I returned my attention towards him. "Farewell and stay safe." Roman said.

"You too Roman. Don't anger the Director too much, or she may just try to destroy humanity to get rid of you." I said jokingly. "And then we'll have to go back and time and stop her." I added and Roman chuckled immensely.

"Alright Senpai, I'm ready to head out now." Mashu's voice came from my side and I turned to see Mashu and Jeanne standing side by side of each other.

"Yes Mashu and I have said our farewells too each other." Jeanne added. "Chris please do be careful." Jeanne added just before she embraced me into another hug.

"Jeanne I'll be fine, seriously stop worrying." I said as I patted her back. "But Thank you anyway Jeanne." I added in a soft tone. Jeanne only squeezed me tighter after I said that and a few more moments passed by before Jeanne let me go and stepped back. "I'll see you when I get back Jeanne."

"You too Chris." Jeanne said with a nod of her head. With that said Mashu went over to Roman and exchanged a few words of goodbye before she made her way back over to us. "We'll be back, hold down the Fort Jeanne. Roman don't do anything I wouldn't do." I added with a wave of my hand over my head as I turned around and faced the sliding doors. The sliding doors swooshed open, sending a shiver down my spine as we were exposed to the unwelcome colds of the Arctic. Scathach was already well ahead of us making her way up the stairs to the VTOL waiting on the landing pad. There was a prompt ziiiiiiipppp and I turned to see Mashu pull the zipper up on her jacket before she began to rub her arms shivering. Mashu rushed after Scathach, and I watched her rushing off amusingly before I followed behind her. As I ascended the stairs with snow crunching beneath my feet, I looked over my shoulder one last time to see Jeanne and Roman waving at us goodbye from the doorway. I shot Jeanne and Roman one last wave before I continued up the stairs to the VTOL. It was there where I found Scathach and Mashu already sitting inside rubbing their shoulders shivering, or I should say Mashu was rubbing her shoulders while Scathach sat there with her arms crossed apparently unaffected by the cold. I stepped up into the VTOL and took a seat next to Scathach before I pulled the door shut with a loud click. Once I was inside I pulled the headset down from roof and informed the Pilots that we were all in and ready to go. It was only a few minutes later before the VTOL lifted itself up into the air and we ascended into the sky. I looked out the window down at the base that slowly became a tiny speck below, blending into the mountain side. I rested my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes preparing to drift off to sleep for the long journey back home…

I continued waving at the flying machine even as it became a speck in the sky no longer visible to the naked eye. Snowflakes landed on top of my head and the cold nipped at my cheeks as a subtle breeze went across my back. I continued looking out into the dark sky even as I lowered my hand to my side. My vision began to blur as the flakes began to accumulate on my face. "Would he really be safe out there? What has the world become like since I was alive? Is the world still in constant cycle of conflict? Is his Home Country safe? What is this America?" I was beginning to lose myself in thought when I felt a hand on my shoulder bringing me back to reality.

"Jeanne you don't need to worry, Chris and the others will be fine." Roman said and I glanced over my shoulder to see Roman standing behind me with a warm smile on his face. I averted my gaze back into the sky and my hand slowly curled into a fist. "Jeanne why are you so worried? The Singularity has passed and all is safe for now. Well as safe as it can be for right now." Roman added and I remained silent for a few moments.

"I can not protect Chris here at Chaldea Doctor. I once neglected my duty of protecting him in the Orleans Singularity, and now I feel as if I am once more neglecting my duty." I replied as I grasped my chest and tightened my grip on it, it felt like my chest was twisting inside.

"There, There, Jeanne. You shouldn't feel as if you're neglecting your duty, you're just taking a temporary lapse." Roman said. "Lancer and Mashu will pick up the baton until they return and can hand it back to you." Roman said. The Doctor's words seemed to ease my mind, if only a little bit.

"I know Lancer and Mashu are more than capable of protecting him, it's just that….." I murmured before stopping. "Never mind." I said shaking my head.

"Well Alright then Jeanne if you say so." Roman said tilting his head curiously. "Now let's head inside before Chris, Lancer, and Mashu come back to find snowmen." Roman said humorously. I turned around to face the Doctor with a smile on my face.

"Yes let us! It's freezing out here!" I exclaimed before I headed past the Doctor towards the doors, snow crunching beneath my boots. "And once inside we can begin my teachings!"

"Eh Heh…."

Several Hours Later

I was awakened by a sharp pain in my crotch and my eyes opened to see a blur of white in my face. Someone's knee was in my fucking crotch and there was only one culprit on this Helicopter.

"Scathach if you don't get your fucking knee out of my crotch I'm going to seriously throw you on the floor." I exclaimed as I reached up, grabbing her by the face I pulled Scathach off of me, throwing her back into her seat.

"Well maybe if you'd wake the fuck up when we got here I wouldn't have to crawl over you to try and open the door." Scathach retorted as she sat up.

"Maybe if you acted like a normal person and just, I don't know, woke me up? I would have opened the door for you." I snapped back as I reached behind me and pulled the door open. A breeze went up my backside as I did and light rain swept the back of my jacket. I turned my back to Scathach and I made a subtle splash as my feet touched the ground. I turned around and Scathach brushed past me as she got out of the V-280 and started making her way towards the car. I decided to ignore Scathach as I offered my hand to Mashu. Mashu looked up at me and smiled as she saw my hand, Mashu reached out with her delicate little hands and grasped my hand as she stepped down from the VTOL.

"Thank you Senpai." Mashu said as I let go of her hand and stood in front of me holding her bag in front of her.

"Let me take that bag for you Mashu." I said offering my hand once more. Mashu looked down at my hand and then back up at me with a smile still holding her bag.

"Really you don't need too Senpai, I don't want to trouble you." Mashu said waving her hand in front of her.

"Really Mashu, it's no problem." I said. Mashu seemed to take a short pause for a moment before she responded.

"If you say it's no trouble, okay!" Mashu said nodding her head as she handed me her bag. "Thank you Senpai." Mashu added and I nodded my head as I held her bag.

"You're welcome." I said. Mashu swung around and raced towards the black sedan with her arms out as she swerved back and forth in the rain like an airplane, dancing in the rain. I shook my head before I closed the door to the VTOL. After making sure the door was securely shut, I turned around to see Mashu still dancing about in the rain swiveling around with her arms out. "Geez Mashu, too think you're 17 and you're acting like a child." I thought to myself amusingly as I followed after Mashu. Water was thrown up into the air as Mashu splashed about in the puddles all the while having a smile on her face as she looked really happy. "Well I guess if Mashu is having fun, I shouldn't say anything." I thought to myself. Eventually Mashu and I reached the car and upon doing so I opened the door for Mashu where Scathach was waiting inside. Mashu nodded her head in thanks as she climbed inside. I went around to the back and placed Mashu's bag in the trunk before I got inside the car with them. As soon as the door slammed shut and the sound of my seatbelt clicked, the car rolled off the airport runway and made its way towards home. I sat my head back and crossed my arms looking out the windshield at the dazzling city lights of Pittsburgh. "It was such a relief to be home after what feels like forever." I thought to myself. While it was true that we had only been gone for three weeks, it felt more like an eternity in Orleans. It almost feels like I had gone through the entire Hundred year's war in such a short period of time. Almost. "I wonder how Jeanne would be reacting right now, to the car, to the skyscrapers and all the city lights. She would probably be blown away…"

Thirty Minutes Later

It didn't take long before the car came to a stop in front of our house. As soon as the wheels of the sedan came to a stop, Scathach was out the car and heading up the driveway. "Geez that woman is in such a rush." I thought to myself as I undid my seatbelt and got out. I waited for Mashu to get out of the car before I closed the door shut and made my way to the trunk where I retrieved Mashu's bag. With the slam of the trunk I made my way towards the house. Behind me I heard the sound of the car take off down the road, apparently he was in a rush too. I made my way up the driveway as rain pelted me, but eventually I reached the top of the stairs soaking wet where Mashu and Scathach were waiting also drenched. I flipped the panel down and punched in the code, the satisfying click was heard and I pulled down on the door handle before I pushed inwards. The door swung open and I was greeted by a golden four legged creature that jumped at me as soon as the door opened.

"Shadow!" Mashu exclaimed as the Golden retriever jumped at me and stood up on his hind legs.

"Hey Shadow it's good to see you too!" I exclaimed as I rubbed behind Shadows ears. I grasped the dog's paws and walked him backwards until I was fully in the house. Shadow dropped to all fours as I let go of his paws and I closed the door behind me. I made my way over to the counter and placed Mashu's bag down. Turning around I saw Scathach and Mashu kneeling down next to Shadow rubbing him all over. I reached into my jacket and pulled my phone out of my pocket, sending a text message over to Gwen to let her know that I was home and she didn't need to take care of Shadow for the time being. I pulled my jacket off and threw it on the counter to put away later, I stood there amused watching Scathach and Mashu pet Shadow. Shadow gave Mashu doggy kisses as she petted him and Mashu giggled while Scathach stroked Shadow's head, with as close as one could call a smile, on her face. I leaned down and joined in on stroking Shadow's lush coat, my fingers running through his soft silky fur. "This is one of the reasons why I love Golden Retrievers." I thought to myself. Some minutes passed by before I stood and made my way over to the living room and I lowered myself into my comfy chair. Leaning forward I extended my hand over and tapped the screen, the screen came to life and tapped the remote control turning the TV screen on. I then proceeded to switch the channels over to one of my favorite news channels, it appears as if I was just in time to catch the hourly news they gave. I kicked off my shoes and leaned back in my chair reclining as far as the chair would go. I rested my hands behind my head and watched the news start up, however not only a few minutes in someone interrupted my relaxation.

"What are you doing?" Scathach's voice said from behind. I averted my gaze further upwards looking at Scathach upside down. Scathach stood a few feet behind me with a hand on her hip in the entrance to the hallway; she had removed her coat and boots.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I asked rhetorically. "I'm watching the news to see what's been happening around the globe in our absence." I said gesturing my hand at the TV.

"The same old same old, rotating about its Axis and slowly completing its revolution around the Sun. The World does not simply stop spinning because you are gone." Scathach replied.

"No Shit Smartass. I meant what's happening about the geopolitical sphere." I said which earned me rolling eyes from Scathach. "Now don't you have better things to do than bother me, like read?" I said and earned a scoff from Scathach. Scathach disappeared into the hallway and I heard the bedroom door shut close. I averted my gaze back towards the TV and crossed my arms. Mashu who had taken off her hoodie walked past me and took a seat on the couch, Shadow following after her as he too joined her on the couch. Shadow rested his head in Mashu's lap causing her to smile as she stroked his head. The room was purged into silence except for the Reporter speaking on the TV.

"Senpai?" Mashu said and I turned to face her. "Do you think Jeanne will be fine at Chaldea?" Mashu inquired.

"I'm sure Jeanne will be fine. She has Roman after all." I replied and Mashu ruffled her eyebrows in response.

"That's only minorly comforting." Mashu said. "Oomph poor Roman. Not even Mashu has much faith in him." I thought to myself.

"It's not like there is nothing for her to do. There is plenty to do at Chaldea." I said and Mashu frowned.

"That is true, but ever since you introduced me to the outside world. Chaldea pales in comparison." Mashu said. What Mashu said was true, as I had forgotten that Mashu had spent most of her life at Chaldea, and she was still new to the outside world. Mashu seemed happier outside of Chaldea than she did at Chaldea, and it made sense since being at Chaldea was being trapped inside of a base, and that was not comparable to the Freedom of the outside world.

"Yeah I know what you mean…" I said with a sigh. "We'll get Jeanne away from there and in the outside world Mashu, I promise." I said and Mashu's face lit up in response.

"I look forward to it! Thank you Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed and I nodded my head. Mashu and I spent the rest of the day watching TV until it was Dinner time and then we proceeded to watch some more TV before tucking in for the night...

A Few Days Later.

A few days had passed since we had returned home and it was a Friday morning. We were settling back into our normal lives. Scathach hold up in my bedroom reading, Mashu out and about the house playing on her tablet or watching television. However today the living room was clear as I sat down on the couch in front of the coffee table. Spread out on the coffee table was a mat with the pieces of my disassembled Colt 1911 spread out on top of it. Off to the side was a bottle of lubricant, brushes, and rags. As I sat there in the middle of cleaning, running a cloth through the barrel of the gun, I felt an intruding gaze upon me. Choosing to ignore it I continued lubricating and cleaning the inside of the barrel. I continued diligently cleaning my gun as I made sure to clean out the residue that had accumulated in the barrel. Apparently fed up with my ignorance of them, the voice behind the gaze decided to speak up.

"What are you doing?" Scathach asked. I placed the lubricated barrel down just as I had finished cleaning it. I moved onto the slide as I picked it up and began to spray lubricant into it.

"What does it look like I am doing Scathach? I'm cleaning my gun." I replied as I looked up to face her. Scathach stood over me looking down at me with her arms crossed. "Don't you like clean your spear or sharpen it? You know maintaining your weapon?" I retorted.

"Yes I know about maintaining my weapon." Scathach said as she narrowed her eyes.

"Then you should know that my life depends on this weapon. If it fails because poor maintenance it could spell life or death." I said. "And I'm very well not going to fight skeletons, dragons, or fucking servants with my fist." I added.

"You couldn't even fight a servant with your handgun." Scathach scoffed.

"That's not true I managed to put up a fight with Rider back in Fuyuki!" I exclaimed.

"Psh! From what I heard you were getting your ass kicked by her until Mashu came along and saved you." Scathach said and before I could respond Scathach continued. "Then from what I gathered you spent most of your time running away from Lancer in Fuyuki. Archer almost killed you a couple times in Fuyuki if not for Mashu and the Mysterious Caster." Scathach went on. "And then in Orleans Alter Jeanne threw you around like a rag doll when you antagonized her like the idiot that you are." Scathach added.

"I managed to hold my own; at least I didn't instantly die in the fights." I grumbled as I returned my gaze towards my weapon parts.

"Yeah if it wasn't for us coming to save you most of the time." Scathach replied.

"Yeah sure whatever. Get back to me when you can beat Alter Saber." I mocked and I saw a vein pop on the top of her head. Apparently my words had stung deeply because Scathach was fuming. However Scathach's anger disappeared momentarily as she recomposed herself.

"Hmph whatever just go back to cleaning your weapon." Scathach scoffed.

"That what I was doing before you interrupted me with stupid questions!" I retorted.

"I only asked what you are doing cleaning your weapon in the living room, shouldn't you be cleaning it somewhere more open or outdoors." Scathach said.

"You weren't that specific in your question." I pointed out and Scathach narrowed her eyes at me. "And I'm only working with gun lubricant, rags, clothes, and rods. Not freaking toxic fumes." I said shaking the bottle of gun lubricant at Scathach.

"I see, well whatever, just go back to cleaning your gun if it makes you feel more secure." Scathach said as she turned her back to me and headed towards the front door. A few moments passed and I heard the door shut with a slam.

"Whatever you say your Highness!" I said shaking my fist at her as she left...

After Scathach had left and I had some peace and quiet, I spent the next ten to fifteen minutes wiping down and cleaning the inside of my gun until I was satisfied with the results. Pulling the slide back and closing the barrel bushing over the recoil spring plug the gun was reassembled and ready to operate, and its sleek black finish shone brightly in the light. With a grin of satisfaction I slid a magazine into the pistol and flicked the safety on before tucking it into a holster that I kept on my coffee table near the couch. I gathered up my cleaning supplies and made my way into my bedroom, finding it completely deserted of Mashu or Scathach. Walking over to the bedroom window I looked outside to see Mashu and Scathach over by the pond side as Scathach sat down on a bench reading while Mashu played with Shadow in the grass. I looked up into the sky, after a week long of rain, it had finally let up and the sun peeked out from the clouds. I turned around and made my way over to the closet, pulling back the door I looked up at the top shelf where brown boxes were stacked. Reaching up I grasped the corner of one the boxes and attempted to pull it down one handed. As the box tipped downwards I lost my grip and gravity took control as the box fell down to the ground. By sheer stupid luck I was able to catch the box one handed, but as soon as I did I felt a throbbing pain go through my head as a hard object hit me on the top of the head. There was a loud crash and bam as I dropped the box onto the ground and all of my cleaning supplies as well. I sat there rubbing my head as it throbbed painfully, my eyes slowly opened as I looked down to the ground to see what had hit me. Sitting not far from my feet in the mess of cleaning supplies and emptied remains of the box, was a black polymer pistol in its black holster, I leaned down grabbing the gun by the grip and picked it up looking it over. A frown encroached onto my face as I wiped the dust off the gun...

* * *

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	6. Chapter Six A Fated Partnership

**Chapter Six**

**A Fated Partnership**

* * *

As my fingers stroked away at the keys on my keyboard, I slowly drew near completion on an after action report from one of my last missions for Chaldea. Glancing down at the clock to see how long I had been at it, the time read 12:06 PM on 11/28/2020. I was working on two years at being at Chaldea Security Organization and it was still a mystery as to why I did what I did, it was only a little over a year ago that I learned that magic even existed. Now I spend my days playing soldier for this organization I've never even heard of. I was a Mechanical Engineer, not a soldier. I dealt in Science and Mathematics, not magic and things that should be impossible. This is never what I wanted to be doing with my life. Yet here I was. "I should have never listened to Lawrence back in College. I should have just waited the Market out…" I murmured. Just as I murmured that a file was slapped down in front of my face on my keyboard. "Hey!" I exclaimed as I looked up to face the culprit. "Oh Commander Anderson!" I exclaimed as I saw the commanding officer of my section standing over me. Anderson crossed his arms as he looked down at me. Anderson was an older gentleman from the United Kingdom, he and I got along pretty well together. Anderson never told me much about himself, but he was as normal as a guy as one could find around here. A lot of the people at Chaldea all came from prestigious mage families going back hundred of years and were versed in magic that was beyond my comprehension or skill level. Anderson and I seemed to stick out from the rest of the crowd as we were outsiders who acted like the Men using matchlock rifles when Automatic rifles existed, everyone seemed to ruffle their eyebrows at the thought of not using mage craft to solve all our problems, but seeing as how Anderson was in charge no one had a choice, but to obey. Which was fine in my book.

I looked down at the folder on my desk which had a red seal around it, breaching the seal with a knife I looked back up at Anderson. "So what exactly is this?" I asked.

"Just read it before you ask any questions, okay. I know how inquisitive you can be." Anderson replied. I could only sigh as I looked back down at the folder and flipped open the folder beginning to read its contents. As my eyes ran down the paper my mind raced with questions. It wasn't until they reached the end of the last page did I finally open my mouth.

"Respectively speaking, what the hell is this Anderson? I never signed up to take on a partner!" I exclaimed as I threw the folder onto the corner of my desk.

"You're an officer Christopher, it's your responsibility to train new recruits and show them the ropes." Anderson replied. "A Fresh batch of recruits came in from training. So as a Veteran member, you along with all of the other officers are to take one on and train them." Anderson went on. "Also ever since that incident in Greece, it came from the Higher ups that no one is allowed to operate without a partner watching their back. So get used to it from now on." Anderson said and I rolled my eyes.

"One chick gets killed and everyone loses their minds! It was her fault anyway for being reckless. If she had been more careful she would have completed her operation without any trouble." I said throwing my arms behind my head.

"It's easy for you to say that not being in her shoes." Anderson said. "Now Orders are Orders. So quit your complaining and get ready for the new recruits to arrive. You'll be assigned your partner when they arrive." Anderson explained.

"I don't suppose you know who I'm going to be stuck with?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"I won't be the one who's doing the assigning." Anderson responded. "So let us hope for your sake you are not partnered with a posh Mage from a prestigious family." Anderson chuckled.

"Yeah no kidding, I am the worst possible person to be teaching anybody anything." I said as I grasped my knees and pushed myself up. "I would likely learn more from the recruit than I would teach them." I added and this only caused Anderson to chuckle even more. "This is so stupid…" I thought to myself.

"Well you've survived this long and made your way to Officer so you must be doing something right." Anderson said as he patted me on the back.

"Yeah right, more like dumb luck carrying me this far. I should have died in training with that one dubious teacher…." I murmured as I passed Anderson by, hearing only chuckling from behind…

Fifteen minutes later.

I stood with my back against the wall near the entrance to the Security Department, waiting for these new recruits to arrive. I crossed my arms with anxiety plastered across my face to anyone who looked at me.

"Anderson must I really take on a Partner? I'm the wrong person to be teaching someone anything about magic." I asked as Anderson stood a few meters away from me with his hands behind your back.

"Quit your whining Christopher, I told you that every officer will be taking on a partner so it's not like you're being singled out." Anderson said as he turned to face me. "And you won't be teaching them magic; they've already been taught magic by the Mage Association and have had combat training. This is more kindle too a senior police officer taking on a junior police officer. You both watch each others backs and you teach him or her the ropes to this job, along with any valuable skills or lessons you might have to offer them." Anderson said and I could only grumble. "You never know, you might end up liking your partner so quit your grumbling." Anderson added. I mentally sighed as I looked down at the ground; bringing my hand up to my face I rubbed my eyes.

The sound of several pairs of footsteps caused my head to shoot up and I felt as I was jerked forward by Anderson to stand in line with the rest of the officers of the Security Department. I straightened out my suit jacket and my tie before I put my hands behind my back. Glancing to my right I saw several familiar faces of my fellow colleagues, all of them officers, but then again everyone in this department was a veteran member and officer as we had no new members since me and my group had first started working here. I returned my gaze forward to see a woman enter the room. She wasn't part of the security department as she was wearing that bland white outfit that one saw in Dystopia movies. The gaze behind her black rimmed glasses was cold and lifeless at best. Her brown hair was up in a ponytail and if she didn't seem like such a lifeless automaton she would have actually been pretty cute. Following in a single line behind her was several young men and women wearing the same Black and white Chaldea Uniforms. "God I hope they aren't as all lifeless as that lady is." I thought to myself as I gripped my hands tightly. The people who had followed the woman took their place across from us in a line. The woman leading the group stood in front of them and then turned around the face the members of the security department, looking us over she appeared to be judging us silently. The woman eventually made her way to the side of the two and stood in the middle.

"Commander Anderson." The woman spoke up. Anderson departed from my side and made his way over to the lady.

"Yes Jeanette I'm here." Anderson said as he strode up to her. The woman adjusting her glasses looked down at her tablet with an unamused expression permanently glued to her face.

"As per orders of Director Animusphere, the newest members of this Security department have arrived to bolster the Security and safety of Chaldea Security Organization and its members." Jeanette said before she looked up. "These members have been handpicked for this department after completing their required combat and magic training. I'm sure you'll find some of the best mages of our generation in this group." Jeanette said. "I highly doubt that, why the hell would some of the best mages come here in the middle of fucking nowhere to guard a base in the arctic and occasionally conduct operations in the outside world, which usually just involved murdering someone for doing something that is frowned upon." I thought to myself.

"I'm sure they will be; now you have the pairings on your tablet I assume." Anderson inquired.

"Yes that is correct; the pairings were made ahead of time to pair people up with the right people to achieve the best possible teams who make the best use of each other's abilities." Jeanette said. "If you'd like we can begin the pairings right now."

"Just let me say one thing before you begin." Anderson said and Jeanette nodded her head. Anderson took a step forward and glanced up and down both the rows. "Alright everyone I'm sure I don't need to repeat myself to all my veteran members of what is about to transpire and the new system being put in place. For you newcomers welcome to Chaldea Security Organization, you are about to be partnered up with your permanent partner here at Chaldea. They will look after you and teach you the ins and outs, so be respectful and pay attention." Anderson said. "Now then let us not waste anymore time. Anderson said looking over his shoulder at Jeanette. Jeanette nodded her head and stepped forward with her tablet in hand.

"Alright then. I will call your operating number so when you hear it please step forward, the operating number called afterwards will be your partner." Jeanette explained. "Once that is done please step up and greet each other before returning to your respectful position. Once we have finished pairing everyone up, officers, your new partners will be in your hands from there on out." Jeanette said and began calling out people's numbers. "Who am I going to get stuck with…" I thought to myself as my gaze went up and down the row. Everyone single one of the persons across from me must have been in their early twenties, I wondered if any had completed college and joined that dubious recruitment program like me or if they came from the infamous Mage Association. Would they really come from a prestigious Mage family, not that I really cared about so called nobility... or would they just be a regular person like me. As my mind wandered about who I could possibly be partnered with, I was brought back to reality…

"TK-3812 step forward." Jeanette said. I shook my head and straightened out my tie as I stepped forward. "TK-3812 you will be partnered up with TK-3814." Jeanette said as she glanced down at her tablet. "TK-3814 step forward." Jeanette said, my eyes scanned up and down the aisle. Everyone in the recruit line seemed to be doing the same as I was as individuals looked up and down their row. It was then when a figure emerged from the line of people and made their way over in front of me. The person standing in front me had a small figure, and they stood beneath me at around five foot four or five foot five if I'd have to guess. I couldn't see their face as they had their head lowered and the hood from the white Chaldea hoodie over their head.

"TK-3814 pull that hoodie down, its rude." Jeanette said as she walked over and pulled the figures hoodie down.

"Alright Sheesh, keep your skirt on Automaton. I didn't know our robot overlords would be so demanding." The voice behind the hood exclaimed as their hood was pulled back. Under the hood was a woman with dirty blonde hair, on the browner side, with bangs down her sides and hair up in a bun. The room exploded with laughter as everyone couldn't help but break out chuckling, while I did my best to hold my composure. "Geez who exactly did I get signed up with…." I thought to myself. Jeanette let out a low grumble as she gave piercing eyes to everyone.

"Everyone quiet down!" Jeanette barked. The chuckling died down for fear of incurring the wrath of the automaton. Jeanette redirected her gaze towards the young girl standing in front of her. "And you TK-3814, I would punish you for your disrespect, but you are no longer my problem." Jeanette scoffed. "Now introduce yourself to your Partner so we can both be rid of each other."

"Nothing would please me more." The girl murmured underneath her breath. The girl turned around to face me and I straightened up as her gaze was now on me. The girl seemed to look me over with her hazel eyes and I felt as sweat rolled down the back of my neck. Then a smile formed on her lips, and I could not tell if it was disingenuous or genuine. The girl raised her hand up and gave me a respectful salute. "TK-3814 reporting for duty, I look forward to working with you Sir." The girl said.

I returned her salute before I responded. "Likewise, please trust your life in my hands." I said as I dropped my hand to my side, the girl closed her eyes and seemed to smile brightly at me as she cocked her head. I extended my hand, the girl opened her eyes and looked down surprised. After a moment she grasped my hand and we firmly shook. "I promise to do my best to watch your back and teach you all you need to know."

"Thank you." The girl said with another bright smile. Once we finished our handshake we returned to our positions in our rows.

"Alright then moving on." Jeanette said as she adjusted her glasses up onto her face. Jeanette continued reading off peoples ID's numbers and pairing each other up. Meanwhile I stood there with my thoughts. "It seems like I've been paired up with quite the troublesome girl, but she did seem genuine in her words to me." I thought to myself as I glanced at the girl who was standing at her position staring absentmindedly towards Jeanette. She must have noticed that I was staring at her as she met my gaze and gave me yet again a smile. I averted my gaze away in the direction of Anderson and Jeanette…

After the pairings had finally reached its conclusion the Chaldea employee departed at breakneck speed out of the Security Department. The rows broke down as the recruits found and linked up with their respective partners. All the other officers appeared eager to show their new partners around the facility as they funneled out of the Security department, I however went in the opposite direction as I returned to my desk.

"Shouldn't you be finding your partner? She might get swept away in the wave of people." Anderson said as I passed him by.

"If she's smart she'll make her way to me." I replied and I heard Anderson let out an uh huh from behind. I made my way back to my desk and I swiped a chair from one of my colleague's desk, bringing it into my cubicle. I set my rear down in my chair and faced my computer, tapping a button on my keyboard the computer screen lit up once more and I returned to work on my after action report.

"Hey!" A voice came from my side and I glanced to see the girl standing over me in the entrance to my cubicle.

"Oh good, there you are." I said.

"Yeah here I am! No thanks to you, after you didn't even bother to come and get me." The girl exclaimed.

"Yet you will still able to make your way to me, so that at least means you're somewhat capable on your own." I said with an amused smile. I heard as the girl let out a sigh and plopped down in the desk chair resting her head down on the back of the chair.

"Mmmm… I don't have to wear this stupid uniform anymore do I?" The girl asked and I chuckled.

"No you don't, nobody wears those uniforms except those weirdos in the other departments." I replied and the girl chuckled in response. I heard as she pulled down the zipper on hoodie and pulled it off tossing it onto my desk. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw that underneath was a black turtleneck and around her neck was a necklace with a cross. I returned my gaze to my computer screen and finished the remaining sentences of my report, after spell checking it I clicked send and it was off. I closed out of my email and swung around to face the girl, resting my arm on my desk I looked the girl over. She had a very young looking face, but did not possess the body of a child as the rest of her features were…. Mature. However nowadays I couldn't tell if that meant anything with the way women were growing up.

"Are you sure you're old enough to be working here? You didn't sneak in did you?" I inquired. As soon as I finished my question a vein popped on the back of the girls head and she gritted her teeth.

"YES I AM!" The girl exclaimed shaking her fist at me. "For your information I happen to be Nineteen!" The girl said placing her hand on her chest proudly. I sat there scratching my cheek. "Yeah I guess she does look Nineteen. It's just that her face seems so young." I thought to myself.

"Alright, Alright. I'm sorry." I apologized.

"Apology accepted." The girl replied.

"Now then I assume you don't wish to call each other by the ID numbers Chaldea gives us." I said and the girl nodded her head. "I'm Christopher, it's a pleasure to meet you." I said extending my hand. The girl looked down at my hand and grasped it.

"I'm Raelin, and despite your rude question earlier, it's a pleasure." Raelin said shaking her hand.

"So Rae may I ask where you're fro….?" I asked and just then I felt her grip on my hand tighten.

"What did you just call me?" Raelin exclaimed as yet another vein popped on her head.

"I said Rae…!" I replied in agony as her hand was crushing mine.

"Don't call me Rae! I don't need a nickname when Raelin is literally only six letters long! Are you so lazy that you can't say a six letter word?" Raelin exclaimed.

"Ah! Alright, Alright! I'm sorry Raelin! It won't happen again, so please stop crushing my hand!" I said as I patted Raelin's hand. Raelin released the grip on my hand and I retraced it too my side and shook it in the air before grasping it. Raelin crossed her arms still looking at me irritated from earlier. "So Raelin, where are you from? Your accent sounds a little bit… Southern United States." I asked once more.

"And so does yours." Raelin replied. "Except yours has been buried beneath a mix of other accents." Raelin added and I rubbed the back of my neck.

"You could say that perhaps a long time ago somewhere down South was my Birth place." I said.

"Well then I could equally say that somewhere down south I too was born and raised." Raelin said. Raelin's southern accent was far more heavier than mine, but it had a charm to it. "I'm just glad that I've been partnered up with another American, it's been ages since I've even seen an American! Everybody at the Mage Association was some pompous Brit, some European, or someone from Japan." Raelin said and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm glad you're an American too, it was starting to get lonely up here being the only freedom lover." I said and Raelin began to laugh amused. A few moments passed us by before Raelin spoke up once more. "So shouldn't this be like when you as my senior officer give me like the "talk"" Raelin said adding finger quotes around talk.

"Well…. I don't know what there is too talk about? I'm kind of new at this." I said rubbing the back of my neck. "I mean what do you want to know? Have they informed you about what Chaldea is about?" I asked.

"Of course I know what Chaldea is about, I didn't choose to come work here by accident!" Raelin replied. "Chaldea Security Organization is a research and development organization that studies some aspect of mage craft." Raelin added. "Well that's more than I knew when I started working here, but then again I still don't know very much." I thought to myself with a mental sigh.

"And yet here you are working in the Security Department." I pointed out.

"Well I didn't want to be a research, because….. Because that stuff is boring. I wanted to use my mage craft for fighting and protect the facility. They mentioned that the Security Department conducts missions and operations!" Raelin exclaimed with raised fist.

"Well it's true that we conduct operations, which usually consist of investigating incidents involving mage craft and killing some rogue Mage risking the knowledge of mage craft being exposed to the outside world…" I said running my hand through my hair. "We're not going to be doing any operations anytime soon." I said and a frown formed on Raelin's lips.

"Why not?!" Raelin exclaimed.

"Because I want to know what you're capable of before I even consider letting you out on the field with me." I said and Raelin furrowed her eyebrows.

"What do you mean? I'm more than capable!" Raelin exclaimed. "I have plenty of experience in the use of mage craft." Raelin added.

"It's not mage craft I am referring too. Nothing they teach you at the Mage Association can prepare you for actual field combat." I said as I pushed myself up out of my chair. Raelin's eyes followed me as I stood up and looked down at her. "Come on, let's go." I said as I walked past Raelin out of my cubicle.

"Some equal partnership this is…" Raelin murmured as I heard her stand up and follow behind me.

"It isn't, I'm the Senior officer and you're the junior in this partnership so that means you follow my orders." I said and I heard Raelin grumble as she reluctantly followed behind me.

Several Minutes Later

"Where are we going?" Raelin asked as I heard her boots clicking behind me.

"I told you. We're going to see how capable you actually are." I replied and more grumbling was heard from behind me. Raelin and I walked down the halls of Chaldea passing by employees, we exchanged greetings as we passed by.

"So long have you been working here?" Raelin's voice asked from behind and I looked over my shoulder to see Raelin with her arms behind her head looking at me.

"I've been working here for around two years." I replied as I returned my gaze forward.

"Hmm so are the benefits Chaldea Security Organization offering you any good?" Raelin asked and I once again glanced over my shoulder at her.

"What do you mean? You should already know what benefits they offer you, they tell you during the interview." I said and Raelin tilted her head.

"Yeah I know, but they told me that I don't start getting any until I've worked here for at least half a year." Raelin replied. "That must have been something new, they didn't tell me that when I started working here." I thought to myself. "And as someone who's been working here for awhile, I wanted to know if the benefits got better with time." Raelin added.

"Well I mean yeah, the pay is good and steadily increases the higher up the ranks you climb. They offer you good healthcare coverage along with free health services on base, and you get paid vacation and sick leave." I replied as I faced forward.

"I see, guess I'll just have to wait to see how mine is." Raelin said. "So tell me, do you reside stateside or do you live here?" Raelin inquired.

"I reside stateside when I'm off work." I responded. "I'm already here long enough as is, so why on earth would I want to live here?" I said and Raelin chuckled amusingly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Raelin emerge on my left side as she matched my pace, walking side by side with me.

"So where exactly do you live?" Raelin asked.

"Stateside." I replied and Raelin ruffled her eyebrows.

"I know you said stateside, but where exactly stateside." Raelin asked once more.

"Somewhere north, stateside." I said.

"That's not very specific!" Raelin exclaimed and It was my turn to chuckle amusingly.

"I'm not going to tell you my address if that's what you're hoping for." I said and Raelin looked up at me unamused.

"It's not like I'm going to come to your House idiot." Raelin said and I looked back at her. "Anyways does it snow here often?" Raelin asked her eyes shifted to the passing by windows.

"Pft! Yeah it snows here like almost every day! We're in the Arctic Circle you doofus, this isn't exactly Florida." I said and Raelin narrowed her eyes at me.

"I know that." Raelin grumbled.

"Why do you not like the snow?" I inquired.

"No it's not that, I do like snow!" Raelin exclaimed. "Where I lived it was always hot and humid." Raelin added. I knew what she meant, it was always in the upper 90's where I was born and some days it was so hot that it looked like heat was rising from the asphalt. "Do you not like the snow?" Raelin asked bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Oh! No I love the snow!" I said and Raelin smiled brightly in response. I returned Raelin's smile and came to a stop before turning around to face Raelin. "Well we're here." I said and Raelin looked up and down the hallway. I placed my hand on her head and turned it to face the opening in the wall which lead into a room.

"Oh!" Was what escaped from Raelin's mouth. "That still doesn't tell me where we are? Or why?" Raelin said as she redirected her attention towards me.

"We're at the Chaldea Security Organization Armory." I said as I slid my hands into my pockets. "Now come on and let's go inside so we don't block the hallway." I added as I stepped inside the corridor.

"Okay sure…." Raelin said and a few moments passed and no footsteps were heard behind me so I turned around to see Raelin staring off down the hallway fixated on something.

"Raelin!" I exclaimed her name. Raelin appeared to either not hear me or ignored me as I called out her name. I peeked my head out and looked down the hall in the direction she was facing. Nothing was down the hall as it was completely deserted. My gaze returned to Raelin whose mind appeared to be elsewhere. "Raelin come on, I don't have all day." I said as I placed my hand on her shoulder and lead her into the room.

"Yeah alright." Raelin said as she dragged her eyes away from down the hall. "I just swore that I saw a pink haired girl…" Raelin murmured.

"Pink haired girl, don't be ridiculous Raelin. I've never seen anyone with pink hair in my entire two years working here." I said as Raelin walked past me into the armory. I couldn't help however but glance down the hallway myself to see myself, but as I expected no one was even in the hallway. "Pink hair isn't even a naturally occurring hair color…"

Raelin and I approached the counter to the armory and I leaned against the counter facing Raelin. Raelin seemed to pay me no mind as she stared intently passed the bars into the armory. Raelin seemed to have a twinkle in her eyes as she looked into the armory.

"Hey Raelin, don't drool over the counter." I said.

"Huh?" Raelin murmured as she faced me. Raelin must have come to her senses just then as she rubbed her mouth and the counter with her sleeve. "I wasn't drooling!" Raelin exclaimed.

"Mm hmm, whatever you say." I said as I chuckled. I pounded my fist down on the counter and called out. "Hey Eisenhart you didn't die back there did you?" A moment passed by before a grumbling was heard and an older man in his Late Thirties approached from the other side of the counter. The older gentleman approached the other side of the counter and stroked his black beard.

"And you haven't gotten yourself killed on a mission yet?" Eisenhart retorted. The two of us stared at each for a few moments until neither one of us could hold it in anymore and started laughing. "It's good to see you Christopher!" Eisenhart said after our laughter finally died down.

"It's good to see you too Eisenhart. " I replied. "How have you been?" I inquired.

"I've been good, just been minding my own business as usual." Eisenhart replied. "So what about you, last I heard you were on a mission." Eisenhart said.

"I was, but I wrapped it up a few days ago and recently I've been just writing after action reports and doing the follow up process." I said leaning forward on the counter.

"What was it this time?" Eisenhart inquired.

"Nothing big this time, just some arrogant guy who was using magic to rob banks. He managed to steal a few millions before the Mage Association finally picked up on the suspicious circumstances and had Chaldea investigate it." I said. "He was a bit of a tricky bastard, tried to pull a fast one on me, but his legs didn't run as fast as his mouth." I said amusingly.

"And the results?" Eisenhart asked as he stroked his beard.

"One crippled man delivered to the Mage Association." I said with a smirk and Eisenhart nodded his head in approval. "So then who is this lassy who is salivating over my counter?" Eisenhart inquired as he turned to face Raelin. Before I could even respond Raelin quickly wiped her mouth with her sleeve and puffed out her chest.

"I am Raelin! And I was not salivating over your counter you old man! Your ailing eyes must just be seeing things!" Raelin exclaimed and I was about to scold Raelin for being so rude, when Eisenhart burst out in laughter.

"Oh ho ho! Aren't you the feisty one!" Eisenhart said with a hearty laugh. I sighed and slumped against the counter as I scratched my head furiously. "Do you know this Lass Christopher?" Eisenhart asked.

"Unfortunately yes. This is my new Partner." I said as I held my face in my hands.

"HEY! What is that suppose to mean!" Raelin barked as she pointed her finger at me angrily. Then Eisenhart broke out in a hearty laugh again interrupting Raelin before she could release anymore anger built up on me.

"So you finally got yourself a partner eh? You two seem perfect for each other." Eisenhart said chuckling. "So what can I get you today? Or were you trying to make me jealous with your new lady friend." Eisenhart said and I scooted forward closer to the center of the counter.

"Yeah. I'm planning on getting her out on the range, so I need to get her a weapon." I said leaning forward with my arms crossed on the counter. "I was thinking since this will be her first time that we should start off with a lower caliber. To probe her abilities and skill." I said as I glanced back at Raelin who was looking at me with narrowed eyes. "Also because she has a smaller frame I was thinking it would be best to give her a more smaller handgun to fit in her hands." I said.

"HEY! Just because I'm smaller than you doesn't mean I can't handle a more powerful round." Raelin snapped and I glanced at her as she glared at me angrily.

"That's more than likely true, but I still think we should start off small." I said and a low growl emitted from Raelins lips as she crossed her arms. "Eisenhart can you go get my M9A3? I think I'll start her off with that one." I said and Eisenhart nodded his head as he pulled out a piece of paper and pen, pushing it towards me before he disappeared. I clicked the pen and started filling out the paperwork.

"I can handle a more powerful round." I heard Raelin mumble.

"Stop whining, you're acting like a child." I said as I kept my gaze in the paperwork. A few moments passed before Eisenhart returned, I pushed the paperwork towards Eisenhart and Eisenhart pushed a black polymer gun in a holster towards me in return along with a box of ammo. "Thank you Eisenhart." I said as I grasped the gun and box before I turned around heading off to the left. I heard Raelin's rushed footsteps behind me as she caught up with me.

"Wait where are we going now!" Raelin exclaimed.

"You two have fun!" Eisenhart voice came from behind, followed up by some more chuckling. Raelin and I continued walking off to the right passing by some windows until we reached a door. Next to the door was a table with several earmuffs and glasses. I picked a pair of earmuffs up and glasses off the table and tossed them to Raelin. Raelin was taken aback, but caught them in her hands. "At least you have some sharp reflexes. So you've got that going for you." I said amusingly as I opened the door for Raelin. Raelin grumbled as she put the glasses on her face and ear muffs around her neck before she walked passed me into the shooting range. I put on my own safety protection before I followed in behind Raelin closing the door behind me.

Inside was a well lit range stretching as far back up as 300 meters. The shooting range was divided up into eight firing positions for people to shoot from and some benches were against the wall in the rare case that the range was packed. It was well kept and clean, thanks to Eisenhart and mages aversion to Firearms. I walked up to one of the dividers and placed the holstered gun and ammo down on the table. I turned around to face Raelin who had her arms crossed as she looked at me, still apparently annoyed by my comments from earlier.

"What are we doing here at a Shooting range?" Raelin inquired.

"I care little for your skills you as a mage. I am more interested in your combat capabilities." I said crossing my arms. "Mana will run out, but your skills as a marksman will carry you further than mana ever will." I added.

"But don't bullets also run out?" Raelin asked cocking her head with a look of confusion.

"Well what would you rather be? The mage out of bullets with full mana or the mage with no mana at all?" I asked rhetorically and an ooohhhh escaped from Raelin's lips. "In my experience most mages won't have a firearm or weapon on them, and besides the only limit to bullets is how many you can carry." I said amusingly.

"That's certainly a unique way of looking at things." Raelin said.

"Now granted not every mage is going to be as wasteful as some and might catch onto you, so you shouldn't be wasteful with your bullets either, so sometimes you might need to use some clever tricks." I said. "Or put some magic of your own in play." I added and Raelin nodded her head in understanding. "However for today we will remain focused on bullets and not clever tricks" I added.

"Most mages I've talked too have never even picked up or looked at a firearm." Raelin said. "Well that's too be expected; those fucking wizards at the Mage Association look down at guns." I thought to myself.

"Here at Chaldea Security Organization, everyone is required to have extensive firearms training and Security personnel are to carry one at all times." I said. "Now then I'm going to go through the firearms safety, so listen carefully." I said as I poked Raelin in the forehead. Raelin rubbed her forehead before speaking out.

"You really don't have…." Raelin exclaimed, but it was already too late. I had started my Firearms Safety 101 course…

Several Minutes Later

"And I expect you to remember to practice safety with firearms at all times. I don't want to get my face shot off because you were being stupid." I said as Raelin stood there with her cheeks puffed out and arms crossed listening to me go on with an annoyed expression on her face. "Now that the boring part is out of the way, let's start with some practice." I said as I pulled the black polymer pistol out of its holster and held it out in my open palms. Raelin's eyes fixated on the gun with awe and I saw another sparkle in her hazel eyes. My finger moved to the ejection button and the magazine dropped into my other hand. I placed the gun back down on the counter as I began to push the 9mm bullets into their magazine. Raelin watched me intently, a little too intently might I add, but at least she was enthusiastic unlike most mages I knew. After a few moments the magazine had a few 9mm rounds inside of it and I patted the magazine into the handgun. Pulling the slide back I clicked the safety onto the pistol and placed it back down on the table. Reaching over I pushed a button on the side of the wall, a rattling sound was heard as human sized paper target grew closer to the counter.

"Alright Raelin come here." I said as I reached over and grasped her by her shoulder pulling her closer. "I've filled the magazine with 8 rounds and I want you to try and get a good grouping here on the center." I said as I circled my hand around the black center of the target. Raelin nodded her head in understanding. "I just want to get a feel for your shooting skill." I said as I turned around and grasped the pistol by its grip. Turning around I faced Raelin with gun in hand. "Alright Raelin I'm handing you a fully loaded firearm, this isn't a toy so be careful. Do you need me to show you how to operate the safety?" I asked her as I held out the gun towards her.

"I know how to use a gun, I'm an American not some sissy European who has never seen a gun before in their life." Raelin scoffed as she grasped the pistol by its grip and kept the gun pointing down.

"Yes you certainly are an American." I said with an amused grin as I pressed the button on the panel sending the target back down range. I took a step back from Raelin and pulled my ear protection on. Raelin turned around and faced down range with her gun held downwards. With one hand Raelin pulled her earmuffs on and proceeded to take a firing position. Raelin took a deep breath before raising her pistol and taking aim, I watched as Raelin's finger rested against the trigger guard. Raelin's finger inched back, curling around the trigger. Raelin's eyes narrowed as she looked down the sights and ….. BAM. Raelin fired her first shot down the range and the empty cartridge hit the floor with a ding. I crossed my arms and observed her hands and feet movements as she squeezed the trigger seven more times. After the last cartridge hit the ground Raelin clicked the safety on and rested her pistol down on the table before she pulled off her ear muffs.

"Alright then, let's see if you actually hit anything." I said walking up to her and pressed the button bringing the target towards us. Upon reaching the table I examined the target closely. "It seems like you're shooting a bit to the right Raelin, do you need glasses Raelin?" I asked.

"No I don't need Glasses!" Raelin exclaimed.

"The groupings are also a little too spread out, but it does appear that you managed to hit the target with all eight rounds." I said cupping my chin. "You said you knew how to use a gun." I said turning to face her judgmentally.

"I know how to operate a gun, but I've never gotten the chance to use one much." Raelin replied crossing her arms.

"Well It's not bad for someone with little to no experience with a firearm." I said. "I mean technically when you aim for someone you want to aim over here in the right, since that's where their heart is. However for the sake of practice we'll continue to aim for the center." I said as I pulled the paper target down and folded it up. I handed the folded up target to Raelin. "Here you can keep it if you like for reference." I said and Raelin took the folded up target in her hands and stuck it into one of her hoodie pockets.

"Thanks." Raelin said. I pulled another paper target out and clipped it up before sending it back down range. I reached into jacket and pulled out my Colt 1911 and placed it down on the table next to the M9A3, Raelin's eyes following the gun the entire time with fascination. "A 1911! Well aren't you fancy!" Raelin exclaimed mockingly. "World War II called and it wants its gun back old timer." Raelin said jokingly.

"Ha Ha Ha aren't you funny." I said with a fake laugh. "Now pay close attention! I'm going to put the same 8 rounds down range and I want you to watch me carefully." I said sternly. Raelin nodded her head in acknowledgement. I pulled my ears back on and turned around facing down range. Grasping my pistol I brought it downwards before pointing it down range. "Now pay attention to how I'm holding the gun, I'm going to show you two ways that I find are the best for when getting a proper grip." I said and Raelin watched closely. "Firstly you want to make sure you have a nice firm grip no matter which stance you choose, try and make it where the gun is centered down your arm also." I explained. "The first stance is called the weaver stance, you want to take your shooting arm and hold out completely straight with your elbow locked, and then you want to grasp the bottom of your gun. This is generally how I shoot, but you may prefer the other way." I said shrugging as I lowered the pistol back down to the resting position. "Now the second possibly stance is the is Isosceles stance, this stance is where you position the firearm down the center of your body with both hands gripping your pistol firmly, in a way that if I was too look down at you it would look like your arms were forming an Isosceles triangle." I said and then proceeded to show Raelin the stance. I also showed Raelin the two different feet positions all the while Raelin paid close attention. "Alright now that I've showed you the basics, I'm going to fire my groups so put your ears on." I said and Raelin nodded her head as she pulled her ear muffs up. I turned around and took up my preferred shooting stance as I took aim down my sights. Taking a deep breath I concentrated on the target down range, my finger wrapped around the trigger. I squeezed the trigger and...

CLICK

"Whoops! I forgot to turn the safety off!" I said as I lowered the pistol.

"You idiot! Aren't you suppose to a Professional?" Raelin exclaimed angrily shaking her fist at me. I couldn't help but laugh in response which only annoyed Raelin even more.

"Even professionals make mistakes." I said still amused. "So learn my mistakes and be a better professional." I added. With an annoyed Raelin now watching me I turned around and clicked off the safety. Taking aim I wrapped my finger around the trigger and squeezed off a round, seven more rounds followed in short succession. Clicking the safety back on I placed my handgun down on the table and brought my target towards the bench. "Not bad for a "professional"." I said amusingly as I examined the tight grouping in the center of the paper. Raelin examined my target and then looked back at me.

"Yeah not bad, when you remember to turn the safety off." Raelin snickered as she raised her hand up to her mouth.

"Laugh it up some more why don't you. We'll see who's laughing in a few minutes." I said. "Fill up your magazine and take up a firing position." I said and Raelin obeyed. After a few moments Raelin was taking up stance with her gun in hand. "Now take aim as if you were going to fire, but don't actually shoot off a round." I said and Raelin nodded her head.

"Like this?" Raelin asked as she raised her pistol up.

"You need to lock your elbows Raelin you need to keep them straight." I said and showed Raelin what I meant as I stepped forward and patted her elbows. Raelin and I went back and forth as I criticized and helped her in her stance. Eventually Raelin began firing shots off range until the ammo box was completely empty.

"So how did I do chief?" Raelin asked eagerly as I examined her target.

"You're certainly improving, but I think we need to keep at it." I said. "Let me go get some more ammo from Eisenhart and we'll keep at for the afternoon." I said jerking my thumb over my shoulder and Raelin nodded her head.

Several Ammo Boxes later

Raelin placed the handgun down on the table and I pulled my ear protection off. Raelin pushed the button on the panel and brought the target towards her to examine her work.

"Well Raelin I think that's going to do it for today's training lesson." I said and Raelin turned to face me. "You didn't do too badly, but you still have some work to do." I said and Raelin nodded her head. "I think that you still need to work on your grip and keeping the gun steady." I added.

"Understood Sir." Raelin said.

"Don't call me Sir, just call me Christopher." I said scratching my head.

"Understood… Chris." Raelin said with a cheeky smile. I sighed mentally and picked the handgun off of the counter. I slid the handgun back into its holster and I held it out turned around with the grip pointing towards Raelin. "This handgun is yours now and I'm entrusting that you will take care of it. Understood." I said. Raelin's face lit up in surprise and a large smile formed on her lips as she reached out and grasped the pistol by it's grip and brought it too her body. Raelin had a stupid grin on her face like a child in a candy store.

"Thank you very much Chris! I promise to take good care of it!" Raelin said nodding her head.

"You're welcome." I said nodding my head. "You may explore the facility at your own free will." I said as I reached over and patted her on the head. "Just keep out of trouble okay, with free will comes responsibility. So don't abuse it okay?" I said.

"I won't… And if you don't mind. I'd like to continue practicing." Raelin said.

"I don't mind; if you want some more ammo just go ask Eisenhart for some." I said. "Just be careful and don't shoot yourself in the foot." I added and Raelin nodded her head.

"I understand." Raelin said. "But what are you going to do?" Raelin inquired.

"I'm going to go get something to eat and then probably retire to my room." I said.

"Where can I find you if I need your help?" Raelin inquired.

"I'll show you where my room is tomorrow." I said. "Besides I'd like one afternoon of peace and quiet." I said jokingly with a stupid grin. Raelin furrowed her eyebrows at me and I chuckled in response. "If you need me that badly you can find me in room 113." I said as I reached over and ruffled Raelin's hair. Raelin swatted my hand away and stroked her hair back into place.

"Alrighty then Chris. I'll see you tomorrow." Raelin said.

"Tomorrow we'll be really assessing your skills so you better not stay up late." I said and Raelin nodded her head eagerly. "See you later Raelin." I said turning around.

"See you Chris." Raelin said with a smile as I opened the door and headed out…

Before heading out I chatted up with Eisenhart to inform him that Raelin had requested to use the range some more and I asked if he could keep an eye on her. Upon making sure Raelin was in good hands, I headed out of the armory. As soon as I exited the Armory I made a right hand turn instead of heading towards the Cafeteria. I put my hands in my pocket as I made my way back towards the Security Department. It was a brisk walk down the halls before I arrived back into the Security department. Looking around I still found it too be mostly abandoned, everyone was likely still out and about showing their new partners around. Except for Anderson, I could see him sitting at his desk in his office behind the glass windows. "Maybe I should have stayed with Raelin a bit longer…. But we spent all afternoon at the shooting range. I really shouldn't breathe down her neck." I thought as I made my way to my desk. As I approached my desk I found another folder lying on my desk, I pulled back my seat and sat down. Examining the folder I picked it up and pulling out my pocket knife I broke the seal to the folder. When I flipped open the folder I was greeted by a picture of Raelin along with a long list of information. I skimmed the first page, most of what she had already told me today. She was indeed 19 and she had been born, but her place of Birth was mysteriously absent other than saying she was a US Resident, which was a bit concerning, but not all that important. As I flipped over to the next page I found her credentials and education. I examined it closely as my eyes widened a little bit.

"She studied seven years at the Mage Association." I murmured as I ran my hands through my hair. For someone to study seven years at the mage association she must be really good or failing pretty bad. However as I looked at her ranking, the latter was not the case. Raelin was ranked almost at the top of her class, not quite 1st though. My Partner wasn't some idiot like me when it came to magic; she had years of experience and training in mage craft. As I was looking her record over I felt as a pair of arms made their way around my neck and something soft pressing up against the back of my head...

"Your new partner is rather cute, seeing someone as cute as her with you makes a woman jealous." A voice whispered from behind into my neck slightly blowing on my neck teasingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about Shizuka." I said paying no mind to the white haired woman clinging around my neck as I slammed the folder shut. "Whether or not you get jealous is up to you, I do not care either way." I added.

"You're so cruel Chris." Shizuka said teasingly.

"You're the only one who tells me that." I replied as I crossed my arms on my desk.

"That's because I'm one of the only other people you talk too." Shizuka snickered and I grumbled running my hand through my hair.

"That's not true, there's Anderson… Roman…. and Ummm." I said scratching my head. Shizuka began to giggle amused as I sat there scratching my head.

"I'm one of the three whole people you talk too, or make that four now." Shizuka said with a smirk.

"Whatever. What are you doing here? Besides stalking one of your former students." I said as I got up out of my seat being dragged along by Shizuka we made our out of the Security Department and down the hall with Shizuka attached firmly to my arm.

"I'm not stalking you." Shizuka pouted. "I'm merely observing my favorite student and making sure he's not doing a bad job at teaching his new partner." Shizuka joked.

"I don't need you back seat teaching. She's my partner and my responsibility." I said. "Not yours." I added.

"Hmm I wish she was one of my students. She's really cute." Shizuka teased.

"Mmm I guess then it's a good thing she's my partner and not one of your students." I said scratching my cheek. "I have to shield her from mischievous teachers who might taint them." I added jokingly.

"You had no problem being tainted by this mischievous teacher." Shizuka teased as she squeezed my arm.

"I wasn't tainted; it was more like I was the only student who could put up with you." I said teasingly.

"Hmph… So tell me about your new Partner?" Shizuka inquired and I ran my hand through my hair.

"Her name is Raelin. She's an American from down South." I said.

"Mmm Raelin? And an American at that?" Shizuka said. "I see that now I don't stand a chance against another American." Shizuka teased.

"Would you stop that." I said and Shizuka only smirked.

"So how old is she?" Shizuka inquired.

"She's Nineteen!" I spurted out and all of a sudden Shizuka raised her hand up to her head and gasped dramatically.

"Nineteen! Now I know I don't stand a chance against someone as young as her. Oh I can see it now! The older woman will be pushed aside for the young beautiful maiden!" Shizuka said dramatically as she sniffled, rubbing her eyes in a pitiful fashion.

"Would you stop acting over dramatic, I'm not trying to date her. I'm not dating anyone." I said. "And would you let go of my arm!" I exclaimed and Shizuka cast aside her fake sadness and a devious smirk appeared on her face as she only tightened her grip on my arm.

"If you're not dating anyone than why should it matter if you're seen with a woman grasping your arm?" Shizuka inquired.

"B-Because then people will get the wrong idea!" I stuttered and Shizuka giggled amused. I smacked my forehead as I knew she was getting a kick out of this. It was also becoming apparent to me that we were heading down the living quarters hallway.

"Shizuka did you come to nag me about my new partner or did you have something important to talk to me about." I inquired.

"Do I need a reason to come bother my favorite student" Shizuka said putting on some charm.

"Yes, yes you do." I replied and Shizuka pouted.

"I just wanted to make sure you looked after your new partner, Raelin is a very skilled mage. She graduated near the top of her class. However she still needs proper guidance, which is what you should be doing!" Shizuka said sternly. She was telling me stuff I already knew...

"If you knew her name, then why the hell did you ask me?" I exclaimed as I ran my hand through my hair. "Also I don't need to be breathing down Raelin's neck constantly, that's not a good way to start a partner relationship." I added and Shizuka smirked deviously. I could only imagine what dirty thoughts might be going through her head.

"Whatever you say, you're the teacher so you must know best. What would I possibly know from all my years of teaching?" Shizuka said dramatically and I rolled my eyes. "And I asked for her name because it gives me a good excuse to tease you." Shizuka snickered and I sighed. "I also wanted to see your handsome face and talk to you." Shizuka said as we came to a stop. Shizuka let go of my arm and spun around in front of me before she came to a stop, practically falling on me she laid her hands on my chest.

"More like I'm the only one you can talk too." I said jokingly. "You really should find some better ways to relieve stress than come pester me." I added.

"It's your fault for making me quit smoking. I used to never have any problems handling stress until you came along and started nagging me about my health, so you have to take responsibility and help me." Shizuka said as she ran her fingers down my chest.

"I didn't make you quit one addiction to form another." I said scratching my head as I felt my cheeks begin to fluster.

"It's not an addiction, I just really enjoy being with you. Stress relief is just a good excuse." Shizuka teased with a giggle. I felt as my face began to turn a deep shade of red. I looked around to see we were the only ones in the hallway and that we were in front of my room.

"Shizuka surely there are other men for you to talk too." I said.

"You're the only man I talk to Chris… Why? Do you not enjoy talking to me Chris?" Shizuka said and I snapped my attention back to her. I angrily flickered her in the forehead and she pouted, rubbing her forehead pitifully.

"Of course I enjoy talking to you, I wouldn't talk to you if I didn't." I said and a smile formed on Shizuka's lips as she giggled.

"That makes me very happy to hear." Shizuka said and I felt as her leg slowly pushed itself in between my own and my back was pressed up against my door. "You're so cute when I tease you." Shizuka said.

"You're the only person I let tease me." I replied as I cupped Shizuka's cheek. Shizuka's face flustered and she leaned in towards my face, our lips grew closer until we finally made contact in a passionate kiss. My hands began to move on their own as they made their way down her backside and underneath her skirt, I grasped Shizuka's butt cheeks and felt them up as we passionately kissed one another.

"I-If you enjoy me this much, why don't you just hurry up and marry me." I said as our lips parted ways and Shizuka burrowed into my neck kissing it.

"You'll have to propose first." Shizuka whispered into my ear before sucking on my earlobe sweetly.

"F-Fat chance. You're too troublesome to marry." I murmured as Shizuka drove her leg up into my crotch. "Geez my mind is going numb already. We need to get out of the hallway." I thought to myself as I reached over and aimlessly smacked at the door panel until I pressed the correct button on the side panel and we stumbled backwards into my room still holding onto one another. The door closed behind us as we disappeared into my room. "T-This is not the proper behavior for a senior officer. What would my new partner think if she saw this…?"

* * *

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	7. Chapter Seven A Fated Partnership Part 2

**Chapter Seven**

**A Fated Partnership Part II**

* * *

My eyes slowly winced open as a thunderous banging intruded on my eardrums. Everything was dark and I couldn't see a thing, but the loud banging noise was heard clear as day outside of my room. Something heavy was weighing down on top of me and something soft and squishy was pressing against my chest, something wet was also pressing up against my crotch. As I looked down I saw a full head of white hair resting on my shoulders and past that was a naked pair of breast pressing against my chest. And from the warmness coming from under the blanket I could only imagine that everything past that set of breast was naked including me. I placed my hand on the back of Shizuka's head as I brought my other free hand up to my face and groaned. "Shizuka and I had been at it again last night until we had passed out. I was starting to wonder if I should even bother resisting Shizuka's temptations since it always ended up like this…. I mean it wasn't like it mattered since I wasn't married or in a relationship, so having sex with Shizuka was fine." I thought to myself as I began to run my fingers through Shizuka's soft silky hair, Shizuka whether consciously or not let out a pleased murmur and snuggled up to me. "However Shizuka and I only saw each other every so often and while I enjoyed Shizuka's company... I felt myself wanting an actual relationship that was more than just sex and small talk." I thought to myself looking down at the soundly sleeping Shizuka. "And I don't think Shizuka and I's relationship will ever go beyond friends since that's how we liked it. I mean sure Shizuka was a beautiful and intelligent woman who I respected and I admired, but…." I thought to myself as I stroked Shizuka's hair. Before I could finish that train of thought another barrage of hammering was heard against my door. Someone was really hammering away at my door impatiently and they were not going away. I pushed Shizuka off of me to the side of the bed and got up. Swinging around I looked down and frantically searched through the pile of clothes until I found my boxers. Pulling my boxers up until they were on my waist, I reached down and grabbed my pair of pants and stood up. Stepping into my pair of pants I pulled them upwards. The banging outside of my room grew even louder and before I had even finished pulling my pants up, I frantically hopped towards the door while pulling them up. On my way to the door I grabbed a shirt and pulled it on all the while buttoning up. Finally I reached the door and hit the button on the side panel next to the door…

The door swung open and I found a pair of eyes staring at me angrily. A woman stood before my door with their arms crossed wearing a black hoodie with Chaldea logo along with a pair of black yoga pants.

"A-Ah Raelin!" I exclaimed as Raelin stared at me angrily.

"Good Morning to you too Sir. Whatever happened to "Tomorrow we'll be really assessing your skills so you better not stay up late Raelin."?" Raelin scowled.

"Did I say that?" I inquired with an earnest look of doubt. Raelin narrowed her eyes at me looking very annoyed.

"You did say that. Maybe if remembered what you actually said you would get up on time and do what you said you would do, Sir." Raelin said with judgmental eyes.

"What are you talking about, it can't be that…." I said before being cut off.

"It's 11 AM, I woke up at 6 AM and I've been waiting for you since then." Raelin scowled and I scratched my head in embarrassment.

"Alright, Alright! I'm sorry! I truly am Raelin! I just got… preoccupied with work last night." I said as I rubbed the back of my neck. "I promise we'll assess your skills as soon as I take a shower and get dressed." I said and Raelin narrowed her eyes at me. "What?"

"I don't recall you wearing a blue collared shirt yesterday." Raelin pointed out. At first I was confused, but then I looked down to see that I was indeed wearing a blue collared shirt.

"O-Oh well I just grabbed whatever was laying around." I said trying to pull a fast one and Raelin stood there looking not completely convinced.

"If that's the case your room must really be a mess if you just pick random shirts." Raelin said.

"Haha I guess so, maybe it might be good training exercise if I make you clean my room." I said with a chuckle and Raelin's eyes widened in horror.

"N-No I'm good!" Raelin exclaimed and turned around facing the hall. "I'll be heading down to the Gym, please be there in 10 minutes or else I'll be forced to drag you down there myself, Sir." Raelin said before she stormed off down the hall.

I watched her amusingly until she disappeared. Then I retracted my head back into my room and the door slide close in my face. "That girl sure is interesting; here I was thinking that she would be lazy. However turns out that I'm the one being lazy. So much for leading by example" I thought to myself and reached up and smacked my cheeks. "Come on Chris, you need to get your act together. She's your partner now and you need to take things more seriously." I thought to myself and nodded my head in agreement with myself. I turned around and faced the dark room; there was an eerie silence as the room felt empty. However I knew that wasn't the case as I made my way over to the bed and even though it was dark I could see Shizuka's naked backside as she still lay in bed facing the wall.

"See it was just as I said, the beautiful maiden would come along and the older woman would be pushed aside." Shizuka said with a sniffle. I knelt down on the bed and crawled over towards her.

"Don't be so over dramatic Shizuka. I would have rushed to answer the door even if it wasn't Raelin." I said as I placed my hand on Shizuka's shoulder and turned her over, leaning down I kissed Shizuka softly on the lips. After a moment our lips parted from each other and I stood up looking down at Shizuka.

"That doesn't make me feel any better when you say that." Shizuka murmured as she wrapped her arms around her stomach and waist.

"Well I'm not here to make you feel better. If you wanted someone to sweet talk you, you should have chosen someone else." I said. Shizuka looked at me deviously with a smirk.

"Oh but you do make me feel better." Shizuka said as she ran her hands up her body and grasped her breast and firmly squeezed them. "Just like you did last night." Shizuka said mischievously and I ran my hand through my hair before scratching my head with an "oh boy" look on my face. I walked around the bed and made my way towards the small bathroom located close to my reading chair. "I make you feel pretty good too Chris, so don't lie." Shizuka said as I heard a wet noise. Glancing to my side I saw Shizuka lay there with her lips spread and a white liquid had dried in her most private areas. "You came inside me several times last night." Shizuka said sticking her tongue out at me.

"Alright! Are you always this flirty in the morning?" I said turning around with my arms crossed. From behind I heard Shizuka chuckle and more wet noises were heard from behind.

"You know I might end up getting pregnant." Shizuka murmured.

"Well maybe you should take a shower, you never know. You might not be too late." I said keeping my gaze averted from her.

"What will happen if I get pregnant Chris?" Shizuka teased. I ran my hand through my hair begrudgingly and let out a sigh. I turned around and faced Shizuka who laid there with her hands on her breast as she looked at me with a mischief look on her face.

"I guess if that happens I'll just have to take responsibility and marry you." I said as I scratched my head and glanced at her with a smug smile. Shizuka's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but quickly returned to normal as surprise was once again replaced by mischief.

"Hmm that almost makes me want to get pregnant!" Shizuka teased. "I can see it now! The life of a housewife! The cute outfits, taking care of our child, greeting you when you come home!" Shizuka rested her head back against the pillow and rested her arm over her eyes.

"Housewife!" I exclaimed. "Who says I'm going to let you become a Housewife, do you really think I make enough money to support three people?!" I exclaimed.

"We both know you make more than I do." Shizuka replied grinning as she peaked out from under her arms.

"Whatever! Just go take a shower, before I kick you out to the hall." I said scratching my head.

"I have a better idea!" Shizuka exclaimed as she pushed herself upwards and got up on her feet. "Why don't we both shower, that way is more efficient wouldn't you say." Shizuka teased as she pressed her breast up against my chest. "I'll even "clean" you myself." Shizuka teased some more as her hand ran down my chest towards my crotch.

"Yeah okay whatever!" I exclaimed as I grabbed Shizuka's hand and put it back up to my chest. "I don't have much time, I gotta get down to the Gym in less than 10 minutes." I said turning around and scratching my head flustered. Shizuka walked past me and head towards the bathroom, as we both stood at the door I motioned with my hand for her to go ahead. "Ladies first." I said and Shizuka smiled amused as she entered the small bathroom with a nod of her head.

"Such the Gentleman." Shizuka snickered.

"Aren't I always?" I inquired and Shizuka chuckled. I followed her inside and undressed before I hopped into the already cramped enough as is shower with Shizuka where we "cleaned" one another ….

The door swooshed behind me as I exited my room feeling refreshed and clean. Well as refreshed as one could get when a flirtatious woman is breathing down your neck. I had gotten dressed into my usual attire, remembering to put on my own clothes this time, and I glanced up and down the halls as I rubbed my face.

"Well I best head down to gym before Raelin comes back down here." I murmured as I slid my hands in my pockets and headed down the hall. I had left Shizuka behind at my room, Shizuka had said she was gonna rest there for a bit before she had to take off and do something important. What that important thing was, she didn't mention. However what Shizuka did was none of my business, so I didn't bother to inquire into what that important thing was. Besides I had more important things to think about, like what exactly am I going to do with my new partner? I told her I was going to assess her skills. While her marksman skills had room for improvement, and her close quarter combat skills and physical prowess were yet to be seen, but I do not know what l could possibly assess when it came to Mage craft. From what I read yesterday, Raelin was light years ahead of me, she had seven years under her belt at the Mage Association and all I had was the months of rushed training under my belt. As I mulled these thoughts over in my head it wasn't long before I found myself nearing my destination. Looking up from the ground I was met with the glass doors leading into the gym. "Well It's too late too think about it now, best not to worry about it anymore." I thought to myself as the glass doors swooshed open and warmth thrashed me in the face, and I do not believe it was because the heaters were on, as it was more like the fact that every gym on the face of the planet was a sweat factory…

The Chaldea Gym was not as bad as I was making it out to be. Unlike a public gym, the Chaldea Gym saw limited traffic and was regularly kept clean as were most of the facilities in Chaldea. As I looked around the Gym it was mostly empty say for a few people running on the treadmills or some guys lifting weights. However one could be found pummeling a poor punching bag. I made my way over towards the punching bags approaching hiding my figure behind the punching bag until I was directly in front of it. As the bag went flying forward I grasped it and lowered it back down while holding onto it from the other side.

"You took your sweet time… Sir." Raelin said as she threw another punch into the bag.

"I made my way here as quickly as I could." I said grunting as I held the bag into place. "I had to shower and what not." I added.

"Well at least you remembered to come here dressed. However it's not exactly workout clothing, a suit that is." Raelin said as I felt the bag vibrate from another punch.

"Who said anything about me working out, I'm only here to assess your physical strengths." I said which earned me a grunt in reply from Raelin.

"And how are you gonna do that?" Raelin inquired.

"I don't know, maybe I'll just see how much you can lift in weights or maybe how many sits ups you can do, or MAYBE I might just make you run the entire outside perimeter of Chaldea." I said and Raelin furrowed her eyebrows as she cringed. I smirked and soon thereafter I let out a grunt as Raelin punched the bag recoiling it into my chest.

"How would that tell you anything about my skills in close combat?" Raelin sneered as she shook her hand.

"Well if you can prove that can you can endure the colds of Chaldea…" I said as Raelin punched the bag again. "... Then you certainly have some endurance going for you. And if you have some endurance going for you then you can certainly put up a fight in close quarters combat." I said.

"I shouldn't have to prove anything; I went through the Combat training at the Mages Association!" Raelin exclaimed with another firm punch to the bag. As I recovered from another one of Raelin's punches she made her way around the bag and faced me. Raelin slapped her hand against the punching bag before leaning against it.

"Just because you went through some combat training doesn't mean that you're ready to tackle actual field operations." I said.

"I'm not a little kid; I know how to handle myself better than you think." Raelin snapped back. "I can prove it to you that I'm capable of holding my own in combat." Raelin said jerking her thumb back at herself.

"Uh Huh why don't you enlighten me on how you intend to prove that you're more than capable of handling yourself against an opponent." I said crossing my arms and a smirk encroached upon Raelin's face.

"I challenge you! One on One Combat me and you. If I can take you down, then I should be more than capable of facing actual opponents." Raelin said as she curled her hand up into a fist and raised it with a determined expression on her face. If Raelin had not looked one hundred percent serious I would have more than likely rejected her outright. Instead I decided to humor her proposition.

"Uh Huh so say you beat me in combat, what do you want in return for winning" I inquired.

"If I win I want you to stop treating me like a novice and let me start doing Field work alongside of you right away!" Raelin exclaimed. "I also want to be on equal footing with you, so that means put me in for an officer nomination." Raelin said and I stood there scratching my cheek at Raelin's proposition. "Raelin was pretty keen on getting out on the field, I don't know why. It wasn't exactly a glamorous job, cleaning up the worst that the Mage Society had to offer." I thought to myself, but if Raelin was so keen on it I'd give her a chance.

"Soooo…. What do I get if I win the fight?" I inquired as I rubbed my nose.

"If… If you win the fight we will do things your way." Raelin said. "I'll follow your instructions to the letter and work my way up to officer instead." Raelin added and I cupped my chin.

"That sounds like a fair deal I suppose." I said after a moment extending my hand out to Raelin. Raelin looked down at my hand and reached out and grasped it firmly shaking, sealing the deal.

"So where are we gonna hold this fight?" Raelin asked with her hands out as she glanced around the gym.

"Well I'd rather not hit the back of my head on any of the Gym Equipment." I said as I tucked my hands back into my pockets. "So we should probably do this in one of the close quarter combat rooms." I suggested.

"Why does Chaldea's gym have close quarter combat rooms?" Raelin asked.

"Wellll they're not really called Close quarter combat rooms. That's just what everyone calls them. They're really just rooms that Chaldea installed a year ago, because some people wanted a place to box with one another while some others wanted a place to practice their martial arts." I said shrugging my shoulders.

"Well I guess those will work." Raelin said crossing her arms. "Lead the way Sir." Raelin added. I obliged, leading her towards a set of double doors that lead into the Combat Room. Pulling down on the door handle, I pushed it open and held it open for Raelin.

"Ladies first." I said as I held the door open, Raelin walked by me nodding her head in thanks. Closing the doors behind me as we entered I followed Raelin into a large circular white room. The walls and floor were all white and a black ring on the floor went around the room. Raelin stood in the center of the room looking around intrigued.

"This is a combat room? Seems kind of weird. Almost like a Simulation room or something." Raelin said.

"I don't know. I wasn't the one who designed these rooms." I replied as I slid my hands into my pockets. Raelin swung around and faced me as I stood across the room from her.

"Alright so what are the rules of this fight?" Raelin inquired with a raised eyebrow. I reached up and scratched my chin as I circled around Raelin, her gaze following me as I did. "Raelin obviously has me beat when it comes to a straight out Magic fight, so I should probably rule out Magic for the fight. However would putting restraints on Raelin, really be fair?" I thought to myself as I came to a stop.

"Normally there would be no rules in a real fight, but for the sake of not destroying the facility I'm going to forbid Magic usage." I said turning to face Raelin. A look of dread had fallen upon of Raelin's face as she looked at me, rightfully so I imagined. Since it was a tendency for mages to be over reliant on magic.

"What?" Raelin exclaimed. "You must be joking! What's the point of applying to work at an Organization who uses magic, if you can't use magic!" Raelin went onto vent her frustration.

"I'm not saying you can't use magic Raelin, I'm simply saying you can't use magic in this fight. I wouldn't want to damage the facility or put each other in danger." I said and shrugged my shoulders. "But if you feel like you can't beat me without magic, then I understand. We can go back to continuing…." I said before being abruptly cut off.

"No!" Raelin exclaimed. "I can beat you without magic!" Raelin said as she threw her hand across her chest slicing through the air.

"Very well then." I said. "Aside from no magic allowed, everything else is fair game." I said as I placed my hands behind my back.

"Alright then." Raelin said with a nod of the head.

"You may begin whenever you're ready." I said and Raelin cocked her head at me looking at me strangely.

"Are you not going to take off your suit jacket?" Raelin inquired.

"I hardly see what good or difference it would make if I did take off my jacket." I replied. "Besides in an actual fight it's not like I would have the luxury to put on something more appropriate." I added.

"If this was an actual fight I'd be allowed to use magic!" Raelin exclaimed.

"If this was an actual fight you would have never had made it this close to me." I said and Raelin narrowed her eyes at me. "Now are you going to quit complaining or actually fight? Nobody is going to have a conversation with you during a fight." I said.

Raelin's eyes turned serious as her hands curled in and out of a fist at her side before Raelin slid her feet apart and took up a fighting stance with her fist raised. A moment passed us by as we stood there staring at one another. Raelin's magical circuits flickered on across her body and in the blink of the eye she propelled herself forward and shot across the room towards me. I side stepped out of the way allowing for Raelin to shoot past me straight into the wall. There was a loud crash and a dust cloud filled the room.

"Using your magic circuits to boost your physical prowess and close the distance between us was admirable, but works best when you opponent is caught off guard and not ready for you." I said as I turned to face the dust cloud. There was a moment of silence as nobody responded or no movement was seen. My head shot up as I saw Raelin leap up out from the dust cloud and come down towards me. I leaped back out of the way as Raelin slammed her foot down on the floor causing a shockwave throughout the room, and probably the building too, Raelin looked up at me from her spot with an irritated expression on her face, before standing up. I always found it interesting when examining Magical circuits, they were like veins on the body that lit up. Raelin's Magical circuits were a blue like most other peoples, but on the rare occasion I would see other colors. Raelin shot towards me in another sonic blast using her circuits to propel herself again. The is time she stopped short of running past me and threw her arm back before proceeding to throw a punch in my direction. I twisted my body to the side narrowly missing Raelin's punch and this went back and forth for a few moments as Raelin launched a barrage of punches in my direction and I dodged them twisting left and right. "I had the weight and height advantage over Raelin, however Raelin's more smaller build meant she was more agile and quicker than me. So I had to be careful she didn't get around me…" I thought to myself just as Raelin threw another punch. I rose my hand up and stopped her fist before it hit me in the chest causing another shockwave throughout the room. I reached out with my other hand and grasped Raelin's wrist, throwing my weight around I swung Raelin around before letting go. Raelin went flying across the room and slammed into a wall letting out an Oomph noise.

"At this point Raelin, you're doing more damage to yourself than I am." I said as Raelin pushed herself up off the ground.

"Hmph." Raelin muttered as she raised her fist and slowly approached me more cautiously. Raelin now stood a few meters away from me and cautiously threw punches in my direction; probing my reach I had no doubt. I however continued to remain on the defensive taking steps back to avoid her punches. Raelin seemingly began to grow impatient as she decided to close the distance and get in closer to me. Raelin threw her punches in towards my chest and I rose my arms up in front of me to absorb her punches. I raised my left and right arm back and forth as Raelin launched her punches at me continuously, I saw Raelin's magical circuits flicker on as she increased her physical strength with magic. Raelin punched my arms and a shockwave blasted through the room as my own magic circuits activated to be able to match Raelin's punches. Several more shockwaves rocked the room as she punched me repeatedly. Suddenly I felt the wind knocked out of me as I felt Raelin's fist impact with my stomach. I went flying a feet or two in the air before my feet touched the ground once more and I came skidding to a stop. I hardly had a moment to catch my breath as Raelin was right on top of me preparing to punch me straight in the face. I stepped out of the way barely missing a hard punch to the face, Raelin stumbled past me after her fist failed to make contact. Taking this opportunity before she could swing around, I grasped Raelin by putting my arm around her neck and putting her into a headlock.

"Uck!" Raelin gasped as I held her head in my arms.

"So would you like to give up now?" I asked and Raelin was throwing her elbow into my chest trying to get out.

"F-Fat chance." Raelin said even when she was in such a precarious position. Then all of a sudden Raelin threw her weight upwards going over my head and with her weight pulling me down, it wasn't long before I found my back slamming into the ground with a massive shockwave booming throughout the room and I let out a gasp of pain. Raelin had escaped from my headlock by now and was now on top of me throwing punches against the sides of my head. I raised my arms up to shield my face from Raelin's punches, however some of her punches still made their way through my defenses. This continued on for a few more moments as I decided best how to get out of this situation, all the while guarding against Raelin's punches. It was then when I decided my best option; I shot my knee up straight into Raelin's crotch area.

"Owe! Owe! Owe!" Raelin cried out in pain as she rolled off of me and held her stomach. "Why would you knee me there of all places!? Women feel pain when they get hit down there too you know!" Raelin exclaimed.

"I know. That's why I did it. And I had said everything was fair game." I said as I grasped my knees and stood up looking down at her.

"Well if everything's fair, why don't we see how you like it!" Raelin exclaimed and I saw her foot up. Just as I saw it an excruciating pain shot through my stomach and lower body as I felt Raelin kick me in my most private areas. "God damn it woman." I said gritting my teeth as I felt my knees give out and I fell to the ground holding my stomach.

"EVERYTHING'S FAIR REMEMBER!?" Raelin said as she got up to her feet. I fought through the pain and got back up on my feet, facing off against Raelin. "I needed to calm down; Raelin was just trying to get me worked up so I would be less on guard." I thought to myself as I held my stomach. Just then Raelin charged towards without using her magic circuits and crashed into my stomach, and I felt as I was lifted up off the ground and then a pain went through my back as I slammed into the wall. Raelin then proceeded to start punching me in the stomach. Pain still fresh in my mind early I wasn't going to allow her to continue hitting my still sensitive stomach anymore, I rose my elbow up and my magic circuits flashed as I brought my elbow down on her back. Raelin let go off me and hit the floor with a painful groan, but it was short lived as I felt myself swept off my feet by a kick from Raelin to my legs and I was on my back once more. Raelin threw herself on top of me and I rose my feet placing them on her stomach, Raelin threw a few punches at my head while I was down. The magic circuits inside of my legs flashed underneath of my pants just before I kicked Raelin off of me using all of my weight. Raelin went flying up into the ceiling and another shockwave rocked the room along with another cloud of dust forming. A moment passed by before Raelin fell from the ceiling and hit the ground with a loud OMPH. I pushed myself up to my feet and walked towards her. Raelin slowly pushed herself up off the ground while holding her head and then holding her stomach. As I grew close to Raelin, Raelin shook her head and threw another punch at me. Raelin's punch lacked any coordination so stepping out of her desperate punch was easy enough. As Raelin went by I grabbed her by the wrist and twisted her arm behind her back before pushing her down onto the ground.

Raelin laid face down on the remains of the destroyed floor struggling underneath my weight as I held her arm behind her back and my other hand on the back of her head.

"Do you give up?" I asked and there were a few more moments of struggling before all resistance ceased.

"Yes I give up!" Raelin exclaimed and I let go of her arms and promptly got off of her, standing up. Raelin turned over on her back before she sat up and scratched her head furiously while letting out a groan of annoyance.

"That was well fought." I said as I extended my hand out towards her. Raelin looked up at me and saw my out extended hand.

"Thanks." Raelin said sincerely as she reached up and grasped my hand. I pulled Raelin up onto her feet and she dusted herself off.

"It's not that I think you're a novice Raelin, I can clearly see you're a skilled individual." I said and Raelin looked up at me. "However even as skilled as you are, there is room for improvement. I just wanna make sure you're prepared for actual combat; the people you'll have to face will try every underhanded trick in the book to fight you. And they won't be as kind as I was, they'll be wanting to kill you." I said sternly.

"Yeah, Yeah. You don't need to tell me, especially after "your underhanded trick"." Raelin said pouting as she crossed her arms. I could only look at her amusingly as I reached over and patted her on the head; Raelin swiped my hand away in reply.

"I'm being serious Raelin…. Although you certainly proved yourself during that fight." I said. "You usually don't see those kinds of moves here at the association, where you'd learn some of those moves?" I inquired curiously.

"I... You could say that I just learned them growing up." Raelin replied and I rubbed my chin still curious, but decided not to press her any further.

"Alright if you say so." I said. "I just noticed that it wasn't the usual fighting they teach you in combat training that's all." I added. A short amount of time went by as I stared at Raelin. "Raelin, you're more than capable of taking somebody on, you could use some more hands on experience with guns, and you have a strong determination. I think that by next week you'll be ready for some field work." I said and Raelin's face lit up with a large smile.

"Really! Thank you Sir! I promise I won't let you down!" Raelin said with a respectful salute.

"Let's please stop calling me Sir, Chris will suffice alright?" I said returning Raelin's salute.

"Understood Chris!" Raelin said as she dropped her salute and wore a big smile on her face. "So does this mean I don't have too….?" Raelin said before I interjected.

"You better get out there Raelin; I'll be timing how long it takes you to get from one side of the base and back." I said with a cheeky smile. Raelin's delight had disappeared entirely and her shoulders sunk along with the rest of her body.

"W-What you've got to be kidding me?!" Raelin exclaimed with a frown.

"Come on now Raelin, I'll be starting the countdown now." I said as I pulled back my sleeve and raised my wrist up as I clicked a button on my silver watch.

"F-Fine! I'll show you! Some cold won't stop me!" Raelin exclaimed as she swung around and dashed out of the Gym towards the nearest exit out of the base. I followed her out of the gym and watched her rush down the hallway, people stepping out of the way to avoid being bulldozed. An amused smile couldn't help but form on my lips as I watched her disappear. Raelin might be seem like a troublesome girl, but I had a feeling that at least my life would be more interesting from here on out. So in a way I was a bit glad that I had got stuck with Raelin as my new partner.

"Well I'd best go grab my coat." I said to myself as I dug my hands into my pockets and turned around, heading back towards my room at a modest pace…

A Few Minutes Later

I arrived outside of my room and the door swooshed open, I was greeted by the darkness of my room. My hand reached over and tapped a button on the side panel, causing the room to be engulfed in light.

"Shizuka?" I called out to see if she was here. There was no response, which could only lead me to assume that Shizuka had left to go do whatever important thing she said she had to do. I stepped further into my room and saw that Shizuka had so kindly changed the sheets and made the bed. "Maybe she really is practicing to be a Housewife." I murmured amused alongside of a chuckle. As my eyes scanned the room I saw a white piece of paper lying over at my desk. I put my hands in my pockets and approached my desk, upon closer inspection the white piece of paper was filled with handwriting, and not in my handwriting. I stopped in front of the desk and looked down at the paper, gripping the corners of the paper I lifted it up to read…

Dear Chris,

It would seem as if my contract with Chaldea Security Organization has finally reached its end so I'll be returning home to Japan now. It would appear that Chaldea will no longer be employing Instructors for new recruits of the Security Department and switching over to a Partner System to teach students. Once again the old Maiden has been pushed away for the newer methods. In all reality I heard it was to cut back on cost as Chaldea focuses their money elsewhere to some Important Project, I don't know what it is though. Since I was told such information was above my pay grade. So that was one of the major reasons why I heard Chaldea is actually switching over to this Partner Program despite what you might hear on the contrary.

If I do end up getting pregnant I'll be sure to ring you up and let you know you get to take responsibility. I expect a nice wedding ring along for a wedding perhaps in Hawaii! Better get all of the American paperwork sorted out! If it turns out being a Girl I'll name it Christiane or if it's a boy I'll name it Christopher Jr! Very fitting names don't you think! I'm hoping it'll be a girl, if it's a boy I might feel outnumbered!

Anyway, jokes aside. I do hope you take good care of yourself dear and more importantly take good care of Raelin! Raelin may be young in years and perhaps inexperienced, but I can see that she has great potential. That is after all why I recommended to Chaldea that she be paired up with you! So you best take good care of her and teach her everything you know so she can reach her full potential or perhaps even surpass it! Raelin might seem like trouble, but sometimes in the end that trouble is worth it! Also don't do anything I wouldn't do! Treat your new partner with respect. A young woman is a very fragile being, so take good care of her!

I'll text you once I arrive back home. It looks like I'll have to find myself a new job. I wonder if any if there are any mages in need of a tutor or perhaps a Mage Academy in Japan will take me in, if not I suppose I could always sell myself…. Just kidding! I can see the look on your face right now as you read that line! Seriously though! No need to worry about me! I'll be fine. You take care of yourself, and I'm sure we will see ourselves again soon!

Love,

Shizuka.

P.S. I hope you enjoy the present I left you! Don't let Raelin find it! She might get jealous!

As my eyes finished the last sentence I lifted up the letter to see a neatly folded pair of black panties lying on the desk. "God damn it!" I thought to myself as I reached up and scratched my head in annoyance. "What the hell am I supposed to do with these?" I thought to myself as I looked down on the pair of panties. I threw the letter back down on top of the panties and I cupped my chin forgetting about the panties for a moment.

"I wonder what project Chaldea is working on that they let off Shizuka and the other instructors. I mean I doubt that the instructors cost that much money, so this mysterious program must require all the money they can gather up." I murmured into my hand. It was also disheartening that Shizuka was heading home, as I now had less people to talk too. I mean I have Raelin now, but there are things I can talk too Shizuka about that I can't talk too Raelin about. Well there was nothing I could about Shizuka's departure, people changed jobs and were laid off constantly. I expected Shizuka was actually glad to have left Chaldea since she had been working here for so long, she'd told me on multiple occasions she'd like a change of scenery. "Well I better get back to Raelin, incase she freezes to death." I said as I turned and made my way over to my closet. Grabbing my jacket out of the closest, I put it on and was ready to go. I grabbed Shizuka's letter and folded it up before sliding it into my coat pocket and unsure what to do I just slid Shizuka's panties into one my drawers before slamming it shut. With everything in hand I set out of my room, turning off the lights behind me…

A couple minutes later

Coffee in hand I reached one of the exterior doors of the Chaldea Complex that led outside. "I'm glad that I was able to grab this coffee on my way here. I was in such a rush to go find Raelin that I didn't even get to have Breakfast, but I suppose this coffee will have to do." I thought to myself as the glass doors leading outside swooshed open revealing too me the cold fringes of the arctic. Chaldea had a large courtyard that stood between the main Chaldea Complex and the outer wall, and while nobody was ever seen in this courtyard except for Security personal going between the complex and outer wall, it was a good of a place as any to run if you so choose to. The snow crunched beneath my feet as I stepped outside and the doors shut close behind me. I glanced around the courtyard to see nobody about, until my gaze met Raelin's own gaze as she ran alongside the complex as fast her legs would carry her. I took a sip from my coffee cup as I watched Raelin run towards me which took a few minutes. Raelin was clutching her arms as she ran towards me and as she came up to me I could see she was shivering, her face was red from the frostbite nipping at her cheeks.

"S-See I told you that the c-c-c-cold wasn't going to stop me." Raelin said as she shivered in place.

"You look like you're practically going to keel over." I said amusingly.

"Tha… That's because its freeeeeezzing, but you wouldn't know that all bundle up would you?" Raelin said as she narrowed her eyes. "Now tell me what time I got." Raelin demanded.

"Oh yes your time." I said as I pulled back my sleeve and looked at my watch. "You got around twelve minutes." I said and Raelin ruffled her eyebrows.

"Twelve minutes…." Raelin groaned. "You're not going to make me run around the base again are you?" Raelin asked.

"No, I think I've tortured you enough for the day." I replied with a chuckle.

"Good, because I'm freezing." Raelin pouted as she closed her eyes and rubbed her arms shivering.

"Here, you can have my cup of coffee." I said offering her my Styrofoam cup. Raelin opened her eyes as her face lit up and she gratefully accepted the coffee cup into her hands. Raelin rose the coffee cup up to her lips and sipped from it eagerly. After a moment Raelin brought the cup down from her lips and a smile had formed on those very lips.

"Ah!" Raelin gasped as color returned to her face. "So would you say that twelve minutes was a good time?" Raelin inquired.

"Well it wasn't really about the time. It was really to see if you could endure running through the snow." I said tucking my hands into my pockets. Raelin furrowed her eyebrows at me.

"What would you have done if I hadn't endured?" Raelin asked.

"Well if you hadn't, I guess I'd have to wander the perimeter and find wherever you fell down in the snow. Then I'd have to carry you back to the Doctor." I said. Raelin narrowed her eyes at me once more before taking a sip from the coffee cup.

"What would you have done if I really had beaten you?" Raelin asked. "Would you really have put up for Officer promotion?" Raelin added. I pulled my hand out of my pocket and brought it down on her head as I patted it.

"Let's not worry about different realities shall we?" I said as I attempted to dodge the question.

"Why not! Since it's not like I actually won, why don't you tell me!" Raelin demanded. "Geez this girl is so demanding." I thought to myself.

"... Nope there's no way in hell I would have actually put you up for an officer promotion. There's no way they would just promote a rookie to officer." I said as I still patted Raelin on the head.

"Mmm! So you took a complete gamble in hopes that I wouldn't win!" Raelin exclaimed angrily.

"No I wouldn't call it a gamble. It was more of a calculated risk." I said with an amused chuckle and Raelin let out an annoyed grumble in reply.

"Well how did you rise through to the officer rank!? You've only been here two years you said!" Raelin exclaimed.

"You don't think I was sitting at my desk these whole two years do you?" I asked. "It took a lot of hard work and perspiration to reach my rank as officer, and some notable accomplishments If I do say so myself." I said scratching my cheek.

"What Notable accomplishments could possibly help you rise through to an officer?" Raelin said with a raised eyebrow.

"Perhaps I'll tell you another time, for now let us head inside before your feet freeze to the ground." I said as I placed my hand on Raelin's back and lead her inside. "Then after I have breakfast, we'll see how much you can actually lift. Who knows you might have to carry me home from a mission." I said with an amused smile, and an agitated groan escaped from Raelin's lips as we headed inside….

A Frown had formed on my lips as I looked down at the black polymer gun and wiped my fingers at the smudges and scratches, even though I know that no matter how much I wiped or cleaned this gun, the scratches nor the memories would ever leave this gun. I looked up and turned around, stepping over the parts and pieces lying on the floor I made my way over to the window. Leaning forward against the window, I looked out over the pond, reaching into my jacket pocket I pulled my phone out. After unlocking my phone I scrolled through my contacts until I reached the contact I desired. Tapping the call button I rose the phone up to my ear and as I sat there waiting for the person to pick up on the end, I found myself reflecting some more as I stared out over the pond…

"... H-Hello?" A Sleepy Female voice answered on the other end of the phone.

"Shizuka it's me." I replied.

"C-Chris? Chris do you know how late it is right now in the UK? I was sleeping." Shizuka murmured.

"I know, I'm sorry for calling you so late." I said.

"Chris I have to teach classes tomorrow early morning. Can this not wa…." Shizuka groaned, but I cut her off before she could finish.

"I wanted to ask you about Raelin." I said and the other end went dead silent for a few moments.

"Ju-Just give me a moment." Shizuka said and there was a pause once more "... Of course I'll talk to you about Raelin, what do you want to talk about?" Shizuka said as her sheepish tone disappeared and became more serious. Shizuka knew that I never liked to talk about Raelin, so for me too bring her up must have meant it was important.

"Shizuka, that day that you returned home after Chaldea let you go. The letter you left me." I said and glanced down at the gun in my other hand. "Why did you recommend that Raelin be partnered up with me?" I asked.

"... After all those years you spent with her. You really need me to tell you why?" Shizuka said.

"I just want to hear from you on why you choose to put her with me." I said and there was another moment's pause before I heard a sigh and Shizuka replied.

"Well it was because she complimented you nicely. She made up for what you lacked in mage craft and you made up for what she lacked in weapon handling and tactical thinking." Shizuka said. "And as much as you might not want to admit it, Raelin was similar in nature to you. You both have a good sense of humor along with both of you being good natured individuals." Shizuka went on. "She also made up for some of what you lacked, while you are more reserved and coolheaded, Raelin was outgoing and energetic. She was able to make friends with almost everyone she met. While you're more picky about the friends you deicide to make." Shizuka said. I sighed as I rested my head against the window panel.

"I wish you had chosen someone else to be her partner, if you had she might still be alive…" I murmured.

"You don't really mean that, do you Chris?" Shizuka murmured and I knew she was right, I didn't really mean that. I replied in heartfelt manner as my eyes began to sadden.

"No… No I don't. It's just that I keep recalling all of these memories, and the more memories I recall the more and more I long to hold her in my arms once again and see her smiling face…"

* * *

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	8. Chapter 8 A Day In The Life Of A Saint

**Chapter Eight**

**A Day In The Life Of A Saint**

* * *

I stare at the words on the paper in front of me, my eyebrows twitching in frustration. My pencil tapping against the paper as I tried to will myself to continue writing. My eyes wandered around the desk where several pieces of paper and pencils sat, up in the corner of the desk was what the Doctor called a Dictionary. Doctor Roman went through the English alphabet with me before he instructed me to write down the alphabet several times at least for a few hours. He said I was going to spend the next few weeks writing the Alphabet at least for a few hours everyday until I finally nailed it down. Roman told me if I needed any help to drop by his office, and that he would check up on me at the end of when I was suppose to finish up writing. So far I had managed to get the first few letters down on the paper, even though my handwriting looked like chicken scrap. So I could hardly say that I was really being successful.

"Ugh…" I groaned as I dropped my pencil and laid my head back against my chair. After a moment I pushed myself back out from underneath my desk and stood up from my chair. Making my way around the chair I headed towards my bed, and leaping up I threw myself onto my bed and burrowed my face into my pillow. I squeezed my pillow tightly as I looked up at my headboard. "Learning how to write is harder than I originally thought…" I murmured. It was also different than my experiences before, because the Doctor was teaching me how to write English. It made sense however, since the only person who knew how to speak French, was Mashu. Christopher as far as I was aware could only speak English and German, so if I wanted to write to Chris or read any books I would need to learn to read and write English. "Speaking of Chris, I wish he was here teaching me." I murmured as I squeezed my pillow even tighter. It had only been a week since Chris, Mashu, and Lancer had departed for their home, yet I missed my friends dearly. The only person I've talked to has been Doctor Roman, my temporary Master, and I had talked a little bit with one of Chris's friend, Gerald, at my morning prayer. Gerald was a friendly and respectable man, and so were Chris's other friends. Yet I was hesitant to approach them or strike up a conversation with them as I was uncertain of what to talk about with them. Sure it was easy enough to talk to men in the War, but that was because you had to talk to them about battle plans and strategy. Too be honest everyone always told me I was quiet and reserved, It was because I was always a wreck when it came to socializing even when I was alive, the only people I talked too were my sisters and brothers and my friends. Anyway, what could I possibly talk about too anyone of the modern day, when I knew very little and I couldn't read yet to learn more about the Modern era? I could always ask them about things to learn more, but I did not want to be a nuisance. "Mmm….." I let out another groan in annoyance. Things were much easier when I was talking with Chris, everything was easier when it came to Chris. He made me eager to want to learn so I could understand more and talk to him about a larger range of subjects, and also so I wasn't so clueless about some of the things he talked about. Now with Chris gone, I felt less eager to want to learn, I still urged to understand things and be able to read the bible. It was just that Chris made things more exciting and understandable. I didn't understand why, but he just did. I really didn't understand these weird feelings I had whenever I was with Chris, or whenever I thought of him. Even now I was having these strange feelings, my chest would tighten up and my stomach would feel uneasy. I dug my face back into my pillow and kicked my feet up and down against my bed. I didn't understand why I was having these odd feelings, and I didn't like not knowing why…

Speaking of odd feelings, my stomach let out a low pitch growl and my hands went down to my stomach where I felt it grumble. I rose my head up from my pillow and glanced over towards the time telling device on my nightstand. It read 12 PM, which is usually when I had my lunch. Back home in France we usually had an hour long Lunch, here and now things seemed to be much different. I pushed myself up onto my knees and slid backwards off my bed where my feet touched the ground and I stood up. "I think I'll go have Lunch, yes that will help me get my mind off of Chris." I murmured to myself. "I could also use a break from writing." I thought to myself as I looked back at the desk where the unfinished paper sat. With my mind made up, I made my way over towards the door and slid my feet into my boots that sat next to the door. Reaching my hand out I tapped the panel next to the door and the door slid open in my face. I placed my hand on my chest and took a deep breath, even though I've been in the modern era for nearly a week, I was still not completely use to sliding doors. Stepping out of my room I felt the breeze on my back as the door slid shut behind me. Letting out a sigh I looked up and down the hall to see a few people walking down the hall. As they passed I raised my hand and greeted them softly.

"Bonjour!" I said with a friendly smile. The man and female returned my greeting with a smile and wave of the hand before continuing down the hallway. After the people passed me my shoulders drooped and I let out another sigh in annoyance with myself. Before I could wallow anymore however, my stomach let out another low pitch growl reminding me of what I had set out to do and I placed my hand on my stomach. Straightening myself out I headed out towards the Cafeteria.

A Few Minutes Later

As I made my way towards the Cafeteria, I crossed my arms across my chest as I walked there. Whilst on the way towards the Cafeteria I lost myself in thought thinking about what I would have for Lunch. It wasn't long before I arrived at the Cafeteria and examined what they were offering for Lunch. Upon choosing what I wanted I walked over to one of the tables and took a seat by myself. Looking around the Cafeteria I saw a few people seated and talking amongst themselves. While on the other hand I saw several others leaving as quickly as they came, food in hand or mouth. I let out a sigh. I did not understand why people here were always in such a rush to finish lunch, why did they not sit down and enjoy it? In my home country of France, Lunch time was something we enjoyed and valued. It was when we sat down and could socialize and make connections. Food was also something to savior, yes? Whilst here every food seemed made to eat on the go and was made in such little time. I remember sitting down at home with my brothers and sisters while we waited for Mère to bake us a loaf of bread, the house would become a bakery at lunchtime, the warm sensation would flood our nostrils and our mouths would water. However I could say that I never experienced such luxuries as I did now. I put my hands together and prayed to God, thanking him as I always did before I took a bite down into my sandwich and my mouth flooded with the delicious mouth watering taste that I had fallen in love with, here in modern day I was granted several options and large meals. If I was to compare it to when I was alive, this was something only the French Nobility would get to enjoy. I would say this was perhaps even better than what the French Nobility got to eat. Originally I was hesitant to take advantage of the Lord's Kindness, but Mashu and Chris convinced me that there was no need for me to restrain myself, as food was plentiful nowadays. Living conditions have improved greatly since I was alive for food was in abundance. For everyone to be able to enjoy such delicious food can only mean Humanity has prospered greatly. I could only pray to God and thank him for allowing Humanity to finally be allowed to prosper and grow. Still though…. even with food in such abundance, I felt a tad bit uneasy that some people took such things for granted….

Forty Minutes Later

I wiped my mouth with my napkin before setting it down next to my plate, my belly lay full and thus my lunch had reached its conclusion. I rested my hand on my stomach feeling satisfied with yet another delicious meal, the food here at Chaldea was really good. Well by my standards it was good at least, having only had food from the military and from my Mother. It made me wonder though if Chris's cooking was any good? Well that was assuming that Chris could cook, I had never seen my father cook before. However I saw that several of the cooks here at Chaldea were men and there had been some men who cooked in my time, so I don't think it was beyond the realm of possibility that Chris could cook. Whatever the case I was curious now about Chris's cooking and wanted to try something that he cooked…. I shook my head as I gave my cheeks a soft pat. "What does it even matter Jeanne! Why even eat in the first place, you're a servant so you don't even need to eat!" I thought to myself. "In fact I think it makes you seem more human!" Chris's words echoed inside my head and I was reminded why of why I ate. "Yes I enjoyed eating such delicious food and it did make me seem more human, so I don't see why I shouldn't eat!" I thought to myself as I curled my hands into fist and raised them determinedly. However a small frown formed on my face as I was reminded also that my friends were not here to talk with. I rested my head on top of my hands as I leaned forward in my chair, staring at the three empty seats at my table. Lunch was more enjoyable when you had people to talk to, and my lunches were always eerily silent as I ate by myself with the exception of those talking around me. I sat there with a sore look on my face as I imagined the seats in front of me occupied by Chris, Mashu, and Lancer as they talked amongst each other. "Ahhh get a hold of yourself Jeanne! Stop moping, they've only been gone for a week!" I exclaimed as I smacked my cheeks and shook my head. "Yes, there's still plenty of time to meet and make new friends here at Chaldea!" I exclaimed. As I said that, I realized that I had said that out loud to the entire cafeteria. Luckily very few people were present at the Cafeteria, and the people who were here, seemed to pay me little mind. I let out a sigh and reach over to grasp the handle of my cup, bringing the cup up to my lips I take a sip, warmth floods my mouth as I drink one of my favorite new found drinks, people call it the expresso. "I had really come to enjoy espressos, it had a strong flavor and I liked all the creamy foam that was put on top of it. Sometimes the foam would stick to my upper lips and I would have a white mustache. The expresso was delicious and rather amusing." I thought to myself as I placed the cup down on the table, leaving a smile on my face…

A Few Minutes later.

After I had turned my dirty dishes in and thanked the cook for the food, I turned around and faced the empty cafeteria. Everyone had cleared out by now as Lunch had come and gone. "I had better get going too; I still have to practice my writing for the day…." I said as I patted my cheeks. I'm sure Roman will be checking up on me soon, if he hasn't already. I don't want Doctor Roman to think that I'm slacking off… "However I think before I return to my room I'll walk about some bit and clear my head." I murmured to myself as I looked up. I turned and headed down the hallway with my hands at my side. After a few moments I had put some distance between myself and the cafeteria and was now walking down the bland white halls aimlessly. I wasn't exactly certain where I was suppose to be heading, but I figured I would keep wandering until I my feet brought me back to my room. As I wandered the halls I let my mind wander as well, and eventually it began to wander to Christopher and Mashu as I wondered what they were doing right now. Did they also finish having lunch or was it later where they were? I still did not know where this America was that Christopher had said that he lived at. America was not a place that people knew about while I was alive, well not that I really could speak much about knowing what countries existed in my time, the only countries I knew of was my home country of France and Britain. My entire life was embroiled in the Hundred Years War so I do not ever know of any of the other countries except for those involved. I let out a sigh as I once again realized how ignorant I was of the world I lived in…. But even still I loved the people of our world all the same. As I finished that thought, a bright light caught the corner of my eye and I stopped to face it. Tucked in the cutout of the wall next to a couch was an odd looking object, it was a tall boxy looking thing with the front painted red and a bright glow was emitting from it. I leaned forward and examined it further, there was writing across the red front, but I couldn't read it. Off to the side a small portion of this thing was black and there were several oddities that also emitted a smaller light. They looked like the buttons on the Cappuccino machine, I examined them as well only to find more writing I couldn't read, which annoyed me. With no other options I reached out and pressed my finger against one of the buttons, as my finger made contact with the button it pushed inward towards the machine. Nothing happened so I retracted my finger and watched as the button reverted to its original position. I decided to press all of the other clear buttons just to see what would happen, but the results were all the same. I let out a sigh as I cursed myself for not being able to read the writing on this thing, as it might have given me some clue what it was for. However I would not be easily deterred, I was going to find out what this thing was and what its purpose was…

Several minutes had passed by since I had discovered this thing and I still couldn't figure it out, and I was beginning to feel deterred as figuring it was beginning to feel impossible. I had seen all of the letters before, but I couldn't read what the letters said when put together. I slumped down on the couch next to the thing, with my arms crossed. I sat there still trying to wrack my brain around this strange device. It wasn't like the Cappuccino machine in the Cafeteria, there was no place for you to put a cup, there was an opening near the bottom of the thing. I had gotten down on my hands and knees to look down there, but it was just an opening. I tried sticking my hand in there to see if there was anything to it, but my hand didn't get very far inside. This device must have some significance, but not be important enough considering it was out in the open and anyone could access it. If Chris was here, perhaps he could tell me what it was…

"What's with the sour look on your face Jeanne?" A voice asked and my head shot up to see Gerald standing over me. I shot up out of my seat with my hands at my side and greeted him.

"O-Oh Gerald, I didn't even hear you coming!" I exclaimed and Gerald chuckled.

"To be able to sneak up on a Servant, I must have mastered the art of the stealth or you were really preoccupied." Gerald said with an amused smile on his face.

"I'm afraid it's the latter." I replied with an awkward smile. "I've been trying to figure out what this thing is, but I'm afraid I haven't had much luck." I said as I pointed at the thing next to the couch. Gerald turned to face where I was pointing and returned his attention back towards me.

"That? That's a vending machine." Gerald replied and I tilted my head.

"What's a vending machine?" I inquired.

"It's a machine that dispenses a food or beverage. In this case, it dispenses cold drinks from the Coca Cola line." Gerald explained.

"Coca Cola?" I murmured still confused as I looked at the words on the vending machine.

"They make several sodas." Gerald replied.

"I've never had a soda before." I said.

"That doesn't surprise me." Gerald said with a chuckle. "Here allow me to get you one." Gerald said over his shoulder as he walked up to the machine.

"You really don't have too! I appreciate you telling me what this is, but…!" I exclaimed waving my hands in front of me.

"I was going to get one for myself, so it's no biggie Jeanne." Gerald said. "You gotta at least try something once in your life, who knows you might like Soda. So no buts." Gerald said and I could only smile in response to his kindness.

"Thank you." I said and watched as Gerald pulled a black item out of his pants pocket. Unfolding the black item, he pulled out two green pieces of paper, no doubt the money of this time period. Gerald then proceeded to put the money into a black slot in the vending machine before pressing one of the buttons. There was a rattle and my eyes shot towards the opening at the bottom as a red metal can dropped into the slot. Gerald bent down and retrieved it from the opening before handing it to me. I nodded my head in thanks and watched Gerald repeat the process to get a second can.

"If I may inquire, I know you are not from this time period, but why did you have trouble figuring at what this machine was." Gerald inquired. I felt embarrassment overtake my face, but answered anyway.

"Well you see….. It is because I can not read." I replied and I expected to be laughed at, however no laughter came from Gerald as he had a look of understanding.

"It was ignorance on my part for forgetting that you could not read in your lifetime. I apologize." Gerald said in an apologetic tone.

"No, No. It's fine Gerald really! I wouldn't expect for most people to know." I said waving my hand dismissively once more.

"As always you are most humble Jeanne." Gerald said. "I understand though what it's like to have people who can't read. I have two little ones back at home who are still learning how to read." Gerald said with a chuckle.

"I am sure your children are probably already more proficient at reading than I am." I said with a laugh.

"You should have more faith in yourself Jeanne, anyone can learn how to read." Gerald said.

"I know, Chris keeps telling me the same." I said rubbing the back of my neck.

"Chris knows what he's talking about, you should listen to him." Gerald said.

"I know…. Chris said he would teach me how to read and write, but sadly he was not able to due to our separation." I said sadly and Gerald had a look of concern to him. I quickly waved my hand once more to reassure him. "Don't fret however, he asked Doctor Roman to teach me!" I exclaimed, I did not want Gerald to think poorly of Chris.

"That's just like him to keep his promise even if he is away." Gerald said with a smile as he pulled a piece on his Coca Cola and there was a pop as he did so, he then rose the can up to his lips and sipped from it.

"Gerald, if I may ask something of you?" I said as I pulled the same thing that Gerald did and there was a pop as it pushed a thing down that allowed an opening in the can for me to drink from. There was another loud pop and then it was followed by a sizzle.

"Of course, you may ask me anything." Gerald replied as he lowered the can from his lips. "I'll do my best to answer if I can." Gerald added.

"I have a question about Chris…." I said as I rubbed the can. "I was talking with Chris shortly after we first met and he was explaining to me how the Chaldea Security department operates." I said and Gerald nodded his head as he listened. "It was then when he was explaining that each section Commander has a second in command, however when I asked him who his second in command was, he seemed to freeze up for a few moments and then proceeded to tell me a lie." I explained as Gerald continued to listen. "It seemed like a painful lie, rather than an ill intended lie." I added and Gerald stood there rubbing his chin. "So I was wondering if you knew if he really did have a Second in Command and if he so, why would he lie about it?" I asked. There was a moment's pause from Gerald before he responded.

"Hmm, for as long as I've known the Commander he has never had a second in Command." Gerald said and I furrowed my eyebrows in disappointment. "Yet I've only been working here for a few years, so you might want to try and ask some of the guys or girls who have been here longer." Gerald suggested as he noticed my obvious disappointment.

"I see, Thank you." I said nodding my head.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have been of more help to you." Gerald said.

"No, No! I appreciate your help, I really do!" I said with a smile. "I'll just have to look elsewhere for answers." I said.

"Well I wish you the best of luck." Gerald said as he took another sip from his soda. "Now I must be going, I need to get back for my shift. I have guard duty on the outer walls." Gerald said as he looked at his watch.

"I understand." I replied with the nod of my head.

"I enjoyed chatting with you Jeanne, I'll see you around!" Gerald said before rushing off down the hall.

"Me too! Thank you for your help and I hope you have a pleasant day!" I said as I waved him goodbye, and Gerald threw a wave over his shoulder at me. After he disappeared I was left standing there rubbing my soda can. I let out a sigh as I looked down at my soda can and the dark liquid inside. While I didn't get the answers I was looking for, I did get the answers to what this machine was. Now I was curious as to how this Soda tasted like, I lifted the soda can up to my lips and tipped it upwards. The cold liquid went down my mouth and down my throat. I lowered the drink and took another sip from it before lowering it once more. Soda had a sweet and refreshing taste to. "This is actually pretty good." I murmured as I took another sip.

A few minutes had passed since my talk with Gerald and I took the last sip from the soda can before placing the can down in my lap. I now sat there on the couch rubbing the metal can as I thought some more on Christopher's elusive second in command. I hadn't learned much from Gerald so I would need to seek my answers elsewhere, perhaps Doctor Roman might know who Chris's second in command was and why he would lie about. I usually wouldn't look into other people's business, but for Christopher to lie down right about it to my face, that only made me all the more curious as to why he would lie about it. I didn't blame him for lying about this, but I still wanted to know nonetheless. Also he was my partner after all, and I wanted to learn more about him and his past. However if he wouldn't tell me about who his second in command was, I would have to learn about it from elsewhere. Christopher must have a good reason for lying about whether or not he had a Second in Command or not, I mean why else would he lie?

As I sat there having these thoughts, an unpleasant feeling jerked me away from my thoughts. I had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom, and I needed to go really badly. I jumped to my feet and I looked up and down the hallway. I hurried off down the hallway in search for a restroom to use, unsure of where one is. I jogged down the hallway frantically looking left and right as I kept an eye out for a bathroom. It wasn't until several minutes later of frantic searching before I came to a stop and scanned the hallway up and down. "Ah where is the bathroom? I usually use the bathroom in my room, but there's no way I can hold it in for that long…" I thought to myself as I felt my bladder about to explode. It was then when my face lit up at the sight of one of the Chaldea employees coming down the hall. As they approached me I put on a smile and greeted them.

"E-Excusez-moi." I said and the young woman came to a stop in front of me. "I hate to bother you, but if I may ask you: Where are the nearest restrooms?" I asked.

"It's no bother." The woman replied with a smile. "Just keep heading down the hallway and three doors down you will find two doors side by side of one another. Those are the men and women's restrooms." The woman said as she pointed down the hallway.

"Merci." I said sincerely with the nod of the head before I rushed down the hallway. It wasn't long before I found the two doors that the woman had mentioned and stood in front of them. I was about to enter through one of the doors before I stopped myself and took a step back. I glanced back and forth between the two doors. "Which one is the women's restroom…?" I murmured as I cupped my chin in confusion. I couldn't read the signs on the bathroom doors. "Mmm…" I groaned in irritation as I stared at the lettering on the doors, they just looked like gibberish to me. I could make out the letters, but I couldn't read them. I could wait for someone to pass by and ask them, but I don't think my bladder could take it any longer, but I didn't want to rush in one of the bathrooms and find out I had entered the men's restroom. I stood there pacing in place as I continued to look at the signs on the doors in irritation. "Ahh I can't hold it any longer! I'm just going to rush in and pray to god that it's the right one!" I thought to myself. I took a deep breath and charged through the right doorway and rounded the corner into the bathroom. As I entered the bathroom and rounded the corner my face immediately filled with dread as I found several men gathered in the bathroom at the stalls.

"A-Ah! Please forgive me! I seem to have entered the wrong Bathroom!" I exclaimed apologetically with a bow, I then proceeded to rush out of there in a heartbeat, leaving the surprised men behind me. As soon as I left the men's restroom I rushed into the other restroom and rounded the corner. The women's restroom was completely deserted, and I quickly entered one of the bathroom stalls. I slammed the door shut and placed my hand on my chest as I caught my breath, breathing in and out heavily. After I had finally caught my breath I faced the toilet. I tucked my fingers into my pants and pulled them down to my waist and turned around before sliding my underwear down as well. As I sat down on the toilet I sat there for a moment before I put my face down in my hands and groaned "That was so embarrassing…"

While I sat there I continued to hold my head in shame as I felt my cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. I curled my hand into a fist and tapped it against my forehead as my embarrassment turned into anger at myself. "If only I was able to read, this would have never have happened. Instead of working on my writing and reading, I've been off dilly dallying." I murmured. What would Chris think about this? He would probably be disappointed in me, that instead of doing what he had told me to do; I was shying away from my studies like a carefree little girl. "I'm going to end up failing him again…" I muttered to myself. Just then I heard the clicking of footsteps enter the bathroom and my gaze shifted to look under the stall. I saw a pair of black boots make their way across the sleek floors of the bathroom and then enter the stall next to mine. I returned my gaze to my hands in my lap and continued my thoughts where I had left off, but before I could even continue my thought process…

"To think this is where I would meet the Holy Saint of Orleans." A woman's voice came from over the other stall.

"Who are you?" I questioned as I looked up, it was then when I sensed the presence of another servant emitting from the other stall. "Oh darn it Jeanne, you were caught off guard again!" I thought to myself as I hit my forehead against my fist with an oomph.

"Just a curious individual, that's all." The voice replied and I narrowed my eyes. "Now to think I'd see Jeanne D'arc rushing out of the men's restroom in embarrassment, that was quite a sight to behold." The woman's voice snickered and I let out a groan as I put my face back in my hands as the voice reminded me of my embarrassment.

"You don't need to remind me." I moaned and the woman let out another snicker.

"You need not beat yourself up over it Holy Saint of Orleans." The woman said. "That was easy for her to say." I thought to myself. "It is expected of one who is not of this era, and it does not help that you are an illiterate peasant girl." The woman said with such bluntness that would get on a normal person's nerves.

"You need not call me a Saint, for I do not think of myself as one. Please just call me Jeanne." I said with a sigh.

"Well then, in that case you may call me Leonardo Da Vinci! The Genius of the Renaissance age, and beauty incarnate! " Leonardo Da Vinci said and my head shot up.

"But wait, Isn't Leonardo Da Vinci a ma…." I said before being cut off.

"Or you may call me Doctor Da Vinci as your Master, Christopher does." Doctor Da Vinci said. "I tried getting him to call me Da Vinci-Chan, but sadly it was to no avail. Only Mashu will call me such, and she's so adorable when she says it." Doctor Da Vinci said with a sigh.

"You have spoken with Christopher before?" I inquired.

"Yes I've spoken with your Master, however be it very few conversations we've had." Doctor Da Vinci said with a tone of annoyance. "He doesn't seem very interested in talking to me it would seem." Doctor Da Vinci said. "If Christopher doesn't want to talk to Doctor Da Vinci, he must have good reason to avoid talking to him. I should watch what I say to this servant." I thought to myself as I cupped my chin. "So Jeanne that was quite the ordeal you had to go through in the singularity. Having to fight yourself must have been pretty daunting." Doctor Da Vinci inquired.

"She was not me, she was a creation of Gilles as I am sure you are aware." I replied. "But yes you are correct it was no easy task in fighting a copy of myself, because I spent most of the singularity constantly asking myself I was truly capable of doing what Alter Jeanne did. It was not until I confronted her that I came to terms with myself." I said as I placed a hand on my chest and my mind wandered back to my battle with Alter Jeanne. Just then my head shot up and I placed my hand over my mouth as I remembered something from when Chris responded to Alter Jeanne's offer. "I understand the pain your feeling Alter Jeanne, the heartache, the loneliness, the betrayal, the anger. I understand all of it because I lost someone I held dear to my heart and I grew angry with not only myself, but my fellow man for taking that person I held so dear from me." Those were Chris's words. Chris said that he had lost someone that he had held dear to him, who could that possibly be? Could it be the Second in Command that he lied about? Possibly. There was still much that I did not know about Chris…

"Doctor Da Vinci, do you know much about my Master?" I asked and there was a moment pause before she answered.

"I'm afraid I know only what Chaldea will tell me." Doctor Da Vinci replied. "Why do you ask? Shouldn't you know more about your Master than I?" Doctor Da Vinci said and I scratched my chin.

"I'm afraid my Partner knows more about me than I know about him…." I murmured.

"I see, well I wish you the best of luck in getting closer to your Master." Doctor Da Vinci said and I felt my cheeks turn red once more.

"W-Wait No…" I stuttered, but once more was cut off.

"So what are you going to do now Jeanne? You don't want to repeat your foul up again, do you?" Doctor Da Vinci inquired. The redness left my cheeks and I put on a determined look on my face as I looked forward.

"No, I'm going to work twice as hard from now on in my studies." I said as I slammed my fist into my open palm. "I will learn to read and write for sure. I made a promise to Chris and I intend to keep it, not only for him, but for my sake as well. No longer will I allow myself to be illiterate!" I exclaimed with a determined expression. I heard an amused chuckle come from the stall next to me after I finished.

"I'm glad to hear it, so I assume that you have someone teaching you how to read and write?" Doctor Da Vinci inquired.

"Y-Yes Doctor Roman has been teaching me, Christopher asked him too." I replied

"Doctor Roman is teaching you? That's good." Doctor Da Vinci said. "I had heard that he has become your temporary Master, he hasn't done anything weird to you, has he?" Doctor Da Vinci asked.

"N-No not at all!" I exclaimed in Roman's defense. "He has been very kind and considerate, especially given how much trouble I must be causing him." I said as I fidgeted in my spot, I heard another amused chuckle come from Doctor Da Vinci.

"Good, let me know if he does do anything weird. I'll have a chat with him if he does." Doctor Da Vinci said.

"Th-Thank you. I will." I replied.

"And if you need any help, feel free to ask me. For I am a Genius after all and would be more than willing to part my wisdom onto you." Doctor Da Vinci said confidently.

"T-Thank you once again Doctor. I appreciate it." I said not sure how to respond to his/her's bravado. It had just occurred to me that I had been so embarrassed that I had forgotten that I had needed to use the bathroom. I released all of liquid that had been building up in my bladder and the feeling of relief washed over me as I did. Just then I heard another stream of liquid hitting inside the toilet bowl in the stall next to me. I leaned forward and twiddled my thumbs as I waited for body to finish its business.

"The female body is such an interesting thing, don't you think?" Doctor Da Vinci and I sat there with a confused expression, unsure of how to respond.

"U-Uh I guess?" I replied awkwardly as I fidgeted in my spot some more.

"Well I'm just saying Jeanne. I think it's interesting that there are three holes down here and it's pretty incredible how much you can stretch the walls out….." Doctor Da Vinci said before I cut him off.

"Ah S-Stop it!" I exclaimed as I put my hands up to ears. "Talking about such things is inappropriate!" I exclaimed as I felt my cheeks begin to grow red once more.

"Why? I'm only talking about female anatomy." Doctor Da Vinci said sounding carefree without a shred of embarrassment. "It's interesting to observe the female anatomy up close." Doctor Da Vinci went on. The levels of discomfort were beginning to grow a little too high for my liking. Luckily I had finished my business so I pulled my underwear and pants up and stood up before I stepped out of the stall.

"Well I won't keep you anyone longer… I'm going to head out now." I said. "Once again thank you for your help." I added.

"Addio, I wish you the best in your studies Jeanne." Doctor Da Vinci said in a friendly tone. I turned around and headed towards the sinks, I placed my hands underneath the faucet and I watched as the water automatically turned on and doused my hands. I was still a little bit surprised by this, but then again running water and plumbing were new to me period. I covered my hands in soap and washed my hands in the soapy water. As I finished cleaning my hands I lowered my face so that I may splash some water in my face to wake myself up a little. As I rubbed my cheeks I heard the voice of Doctor Da Vinci from behind me. "By the way Jeanne… I've heard that American men like women who shave down there." Doctor Da Vinci said in a mischievous tone, and I felt my cheeks once more turn red in embarrassment before I looked up at myself in the mirror.

"I-I'll keep that in mind." I stuttered as I quickly dried my hands. However before I could make a quick exit out of the bathroom Doctor Da Vinci spoke up once more.

"By the way Jeanne, you lost your flag at the end of the Orleans Singularity, when you hoisted it above Orleans, correct?" Doctor Da Vinci said and I paused for a moment before answering.

"Yes that is correct." I replied weary.

"Just curious." Doctor Da Vinci said with a hum. With that I made my way out of the bathroom, and as I reached the doorway, I paused to look back into the bathroom. "I think I know now, why Chris avoids talking to Doctor Da Vinci. He or she is quite the odd individual…" I thought to myself before I turned around and headed out…

A Few Minutes later.

I was met with the calmness and emptiness of my room as my door swooshed open. I stepped inside and felt the breeze on my back as the door swooshed closed. My gaze landed on the desk where my assignments were still waiting for me. I walked over to my desk and stood there looking down at my papers for a few moments, before I pulled the seat out from under the desk and took a seat. Just as I picked up my pencil and prepared to get back to work…

"Bonjour Jeanne!" A voice said from my side and I looked to see Doctor Roman standing in the entrance of my room, holding a platter with two teacups.

"Oh hello Doctor." I said as I placed my pencil down on my desk.

"I thought I'd just drop by and see how your studies were going." Roman said as he walked towards me with the door closing behind him as he entered. "I also brought you some tea." Roman said as he placed the platter down on my desk, Roman then picked up one of the cups and placed it in front of me.

"Thank you Roman, but I just had a soda a few moments ago." I said looking up at him innocently. Roman ruffled his eyebrows at me as he put his hand up to his head with a heavy sigh.

"Geez not you too. Chris already got Mashu addicted to Soda and now you're drinking soda. Do you know how much caffeine soda has?" Roman said.

"O-Oh I'm sorry Doctor." I replied as I placed my hands in my lap.

"Its fine, it's not like you'll die from drinking soda." Roman said as he rubbed his temples, before lowering his hand too his side. "You were already in love with Cappuccinos so it's no surprise you like Soda." Roman added.

"Well I only had one, but I did enjoy the taste of it." I said.

"I see… So is that why you've made very little progress in your studies." Roman said as he leaned down to look over my little work. I looked down at my mostly empty paper.

"Eh Heh…." I said feeling once again embarrassed. "Well you see I decided to take a break and go get Lunch, and then I kind of took a walk…" I said as I rubbed my shoulder. This earned me another sigh from the Doctor.

"Jeanne… I know it's difficult, but you must stay committed to studies." Roman scolded me. "Otherwise you'll never be able to read and write and what would Chris think?" Roman said sternly while wagging his finger at me. I looked up at him and nodded my head in understanding.

"Yes I understand. I realized that now after today. I know that I will need to work harder than others if I wish to learn." I said with a determined look in my eyes. Doctor Roman was taken aback for a moment, but then smiled at me as he patted me on the head.

"Good I'm glad to hear that Jeanne." Roman said as he crossed his arms. I looked back down at my paper and then back up at Roman. "If you need any help just let me know, I'll do my best to help you." Roman added and I nodded my head.

"No I don't think I need any help for now, but thank you Doctor." I said.

"Okay, just keep at it Jeanne. Once you get down the Alphabet, we can move on." Roman said. "If things go well, you can report on your progress to Chris yourself." Roman said and my face lit up in delight.

"Yes I would very like to do so!" I exclaimed and Roman smiled amusingly.

"Alright then, I'll leave you to your work then, Jeanne." Roman said. "If you do need any help you know where to find me." Roman said as he picked up his platter and headed towards the door, I wished the Doctor farewell before I returned my attention towards my paper.

"Yes Jeanne. You must learn how to read and write now more than ever, if you wish to talk to Chris once more!" I murmured as I patted my cheeks and picked up my pencil. "And I especially don't want to repeat today's blunders." I thought to myself as I continued where I had left off, more determined now than ever to want to learn how to read and write….

* * *

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	9. Chapter Nine Unexpected Surprise

**Chapter Nine**

**Unexpected Surprises**

* * *

I walked down my driveway with my hands in my pockets on a chilly December morning. Around me I could hear birds chirping and dogs barking as the neighborhood begun to wake up. I looked up into the sky to see the sun shining brightly as it always did, however even with the sun shining in the sky it was still cold as I felt the cold nipping at my face. It was Early December and summer had long passed with autumn being left behind and winter setting in, with winter came far colder weather, before I knew it snow would be falling onto the ground. I looked back down and saw that a slight fog was resting over the pond and even from the end of my driveway I could hear the ripples of the water out on the pond. A smile formed on my face as I enjoyed such a peaceful morning, a reminder of how glad I was to be home in Pennsylvania and not on some battlefield in France. As I stood there enjoying the peaceful sounds of a beautiful Monday morning and watching my cold breath in the air, I was reminded of why I came out here. I looked down at the mailbox and pulled my hand out of to pull down the lid. Reaching inside I found several letters waiting inside for me, I pulled them out before I shut the lid of the mailbox. Then I was reminded of what I didn't like, it was that time of the month again!

"Bills, Bills, and more Bills…" I murmured as I glossed over the letters from the various companies who I owed money too. It was already bad enough that the Government stole a large portion of my paycheck, but then again it wasn't so bad, the companies weren't forcing me to pay these bills, I was doing so willingly. However before I could bemoan taxation and the Government any further, I found a most curious letter out of envelopes I received. On the front of the letter was my name and address, but there was no return address. I tucked the other envelopes in between my armpits and flipped the letter over and saw the familiar diamonds of Chaldea Security Organization keeping the letter shut. I peeled the seal off of the back of the letter, and pulled a neatly folded letter out from the envelope. As I unfolded the letter the letter to read, I rested against my mailbox. The letter read as following in a sloppy yet adorable handwriting:

Dear Christopher,

I hope this letter reaches you well, the Doctor assures me it will so I will have to take his word on it… I finally did it Chris, it took a couple of embarrassing moments and lots of work, but I'm finally able to read and write. I still have a lot more work ahead of me but I am at least now able to write and read. I've begun to read the bible now and it is as good as I imagined, have you ever read the bible? This is my very first ever written letter so I hope that you'll bear with me and my bad writing Chris.

So how have you been Christopher? It's been several months since we've seen each other, and I hope the three of you are doing well in this America that you speak of. I have never heard of America, but then again I never knew of any other countries in my life besides Britain and France, although I had heard some stuff about the Holy Roman Empire to the east. To be honest with you, I do not even know where Chaldea is located. So I'll hope you forgive my ignorance if I ask where America is located. I know that I could ask for a Map, but I would rather hear about it from you.

I've been doing my best writing and reading like you told me too, it's been difficult, but I've been pushing forward. The Doctor has been a very good teacher and has been there to help me whenever I need it…. Still though, I wish you had been here to teach me how to read and write. I don't blame you for going home, but it's just that I find things more enjoyable and more understandable when you teach them to me.

I've been trying to keep myself occupied while you've been away, but outside of my studies all I really do is read the bible or some of the books Doctor Roman has recommended that I start off with. I've really tried to make use of the facilities provided by Chaldea to keep myself busy, I've worked out at Chaldea's gym and tried out some of the other recreational activities, but still I find myself growing bored at doing the same things day in and day out. I do not know how anyone could work here 365 Days a Year, I do not like it, I feel cramped within the confines of Chaldea. I wish I could leave and see the outside world, but it's far too cold outside to even step outside of the compound. I do not like the Cold Christopher, I am not use to it, it was never this cold in France. So for now I guess I will stay put inside the cramped yet warm confines of Chaldea. However one positive I can say for sure is that it is far more enjoyable to be relaxing here at Chaldea than fighting on the battlefields of France, yet there is some anxiety as I await the next singularity and what it has in store for us.

I fear I am have already rambled on for too long already so I will wrap up my letter. I do hope you'll write me so that I may hear from you soon Christopher, it's to help me with my writing of course! Anyways, I send you my best wishes and I hope you'll stay safe until I see you again. Please give my best wishes to Mashu and Lancer as well!

Sincerely,

Jeanne D'arc

As my eyes reached the end of the letter the smile on my face had grown larger. It had been so long since I had talked to Jeanne and her letter was an enjoyable surprise. I was glad to hear that Jeanne had finally learned how to read and write, and she had done so even without my help. I had expected as much from Jeanne, she was a bright young girl even if she was a bit naive. Still I was a bit surprised she had learned this quickly, from what I had gathered Jeanne had struggled while she was alive to read and write. It had been only about 7 months since we had left Jeanne at Chaldea, and in said 7 months she was now able to write English. That was an impressive feat for someone of a foreign language who had struggled to learn how to even write in her own language. I must say that I am not only surprised, but impressed with Jeanne and Roman. Roman must be doing something right, or perhaps it's just easier to learn English than other languages. I was not certain for I had grown up learning English alongside of German and it was so very long ago. Nevertheless I should respond to Jeanne immediately, from her letter it seemed like Jeanne was already growing restless at Chaldea. It would be good to keep in touch with her since it had been so long since we had spoken, and I did miss speaking to her…. And it was as she said; it would help improve her writing to send letters back and forth between each other.

I carefully folded the letter and tucked it into my jacket pocket with trusted care while shoving my bills into my other pocket. Upon closing the lid on my mailbox, I turned around and made my way back towards my house. Reaching the bottom of the stairs I ascended them until I reached the top where I entered in my pin to hear the metallic click letting me know the door was open. I opened the door and stepped inside where I was greeted by a fluffy four legged creature.

"Hey there Shadow. I'm back." I said patting Shadow's head as he tried to leap onto me. "Calm down Shadow, I only went to the mailbox. It's not like I went off to fight another war." I said jokingly as I calmed the hyperactive dog down. Once Shadow had calmed down I closed the door behind me and faced the living room. It was there where I found the friendly face of a pink haired young girl looking at me. As I always did when I came back from picking up the mail every morning.

"Welcome back Senpai." Mashu said giving me a warm greeting upon my return.

"Thanks Mashu, but I only went to the mailbox. You don't need to welcome me back every morning." I said as I stepped into the living room and looked down to face her.

"I know that, but it's still the proper thing to do when someone comes home." Mashu said and I smiled in response.

"You're going to make an excellent wife to someone, one day Mashu." I said as I raised my hand up to my mouth as I couldn't help but chuckle. However Mashu's reaction was not quite what I expected, as a frown seemed to form on her face and something seemed to bother her. "What's wrong Mashu? Did I say something wrong?" I inquired and as I made my inquiry, the frown on Mashu's face disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"I-It's nothing Senpai!" Mashu said as she put on a cheerful face. "I was just worried about you! What about you? Who will you become an excellent husband too?" Mashu inquired.

"Oh me?" I said as I jerked my thumb back at myself. "I'll just live the life of a Bachelor with my dog, forever." I said and Mashu giggled happily in response.

"But Senpai, there must be an excellent wife out there who needs an excellent husband like you?" Mashu said.

"Are you trying to say that you want to marry me Mashu? I'm afraid you're a little too young." I said amusingly as I chuckled. Mashu only giggled some more at my response and I scooted past her and plopped down on the couch next to her. "Besides the marriage life isn't for me." I added.

"Is that so?" Mashu said with an amused smile as she turned on the couch to face me.

"Yes." I replied as I reached into my pockets and pulled the many envelopes out of my jacket pockets.

"Are those more Bills, Senpai?" Mashu inquired as she inspected the envelopes in my lap.

"It's always the case the beginning of the month, but this time it's not all doom and gloom this time around." I said as I reached into my jacket and pulled the carefully letter out from my pocket, all the while Mashu watched me with curious eyes. "A letter from Jeanne came in the mail; it would appear as if Jeanne has finally learned how to read and write… or at least the basics." I said and as I finished my sentence, Mashu's face brightened up more than the Las Vegas Strip.

"Really?! That's great news! It's been so long since I've heard from Jeanne! What did her letter say?" Mashu begged as she asked several questions at once. I couldn't help but smile in response as I unfolded the letter and handed it to her.

"Here Mashu, read it for yourself." I replied and I don't think Mashu's face could brighten up anymore, but if it could it would have, for that I am certain.

"Thank you very much Senpai." Mashu said with a nod of her head in appreciation as she accepted the letter. I sat back into the couch and crossed my arms as I sat there waiting for Mashu to finish reading Jeanne's letter. I watched as Mashu's eyes went down the lines of the letter and several chuckles left Mashu's mouth as she read the letter. Once she was finished she placed the letter down in her lap and turned to face me. A smile was on her lips as she turned to face me. "Even if her handwriting is a bit sloppy, I'm very happy to see she's made good progress over these Seven months, the Doctor must be doing something right." Mashu said.

"That's what I was thinking. The Doctor must be an excellent teacher or he found some sort of teaching method that best suits Jeanne." I said. Mashu nodded her head before her expression turned serious all of a sudden.

"Senpai! Why have you not written Jeanne sooner?!" Mashu exclaimed. "It has been several months since we have seen her and you did not think to check in on her every month or few weeks? Jeanne is one of our friends and partners in the Grail Wars!" Mashu exclaimed even louder and I was left sitting there unsure of what to say.

"... W-Well I didn't think that it would make much sense to write her letters if she can't respond to them…!" I said and suddenly I felt a sting on the left side of my face as Mashu pinched my cheeks.

"Baka." Mashu said with a strong emphasis. "Even if Jeanne could not respond to you, I am sure she would appreciate the letters from one of her closest friends, on top of being her Master." Mashu scolded me. "Or you could call Jeanne, this is the 21st Century in case you forgot Senpai." Mashu added.

"Owe Owe." I exclaimed as Mashu pinched my cheeks. "You didn't call her either Mashu! You are just as capable of calling her as I am. Also you and Jeanne are far closer together than I am with her." I pointed out which only earned me a harder pinching on the cheeks.

"I keep in touch with Roman every now and then, now quit making up excuses." Mashu said as she pulled harder on my cheeks.

"Owe Owe! Alright, Alright! I was just going to write my response letter to her." I exclaimed.

"Good, now don't forget to answer all of her questions and don't make it a short letter either!" Mashu said in a scolding manner as she let go of my cheeks.

"Owie." I said as I rubbed my reddened cheeks. "I never knew Mashu could be so demanding." I said humored by Mashu's scolding.

"Every Senpai needs a Good Kohai to keep them in line, even you Senpai." Mashu replied as a smile formed on her lips, I couldn't help but smile in return. It wasn't long before the both of us started cracking up and eventually broke out in laughter. After we wiped away our tears of laughter, I reached over and patted Mashu softly on the head.

"That I do Mashu, and I appreciate my reliable Kohai who always keeps me in line." I said affectionately as I pushed myself up off the couch and looked down at Mashu. "I'm going to go start writing on my letter to Jeanne, I'll be sure to answer all of her questions and make my letter long and detailed." I added.

"Please also tell Jeanne-san I said hello and give her my warm regards!" Mashu exclaimed and I chuckled.

"Of course I will let her know you said hello, and I shall include Mashu's warm hugs and affection." I said jokingly and Mashu's eyes widened.

"You can actually do that!?" Mashu exclaimed.

"No unfortunately we can not do that quite yet." I said chuckling amused once more.

"Senpai?" Mashu called my name and I looked to face her, Mashu expression was stern and serious.

"Yes?" I replied.

"Senpai quit your job at Chaldea and make it so that you can send hugs to people." Mashu said looking at me seriously.

"But if I did that, who will go back and stop the destruction of humanity?" I asked jokingly, however it was no joke for Mashu.

"Scathach, Jeanne and I will manage without you. However Humanity will cease to exist if you do not invent a way for us to send hugs!" Mashu said as she raised her fist up determined.

"Oh well then if that's the case, I better get straight on it." I replied with an amused smile.

"Yes you should, but first you should write that letter to Jeanne." Mashu said as she lowered her fist and her expression returned to more of a light hearted one.

"Of course, I'll get on it right now." I said with a subtle bow and a chuckle left Mashu's lips.

"I'll talk to you later Senpai." Mashu said and I looked up at her.

"Talk to you later Mashu." I said before I turned around and headed into the hallway…

After concluding the pleasant conversation with Mashu and stepping into the hall, I reached my hand out and grasped the door handle twisting it before pushing it open. It was then when I was reminded that everything was a lie and that sweet girls like Mashu were the exception not the reality. My eternal torment manifested in reality was sitting before my eyes in the same spot I always found it.

Scathach did not acknowledge my presence as I entered the room and instead continued reading the book in her hands. Even as I made my way across the room and over to my desk, her eyes never left the pages of her book as she continued to ignore me. I made my way around my desk and grasped one of the arms as I turned around to sit down in my seat. Upon plopping my butt into my seat, I rested my arm on my desk and rested my head against my hand as I looked at Scathach with narrowed eyes as I watched her sitting in her chair. While Mashu and I had gotten closer over the Summer months doing things together like playing out on the pond, walking Shadow together, and going out to get Ice Cream. Meanwhile Scathach and I's relationship hasn't changed at all over these several months...

"Why are you staring at me with those dead looking eyes of yours?" Scathach said blankly as she flipped a page in her book. I let out a sigh of annoyance in response. Even though I had said that I was going to act professional from now on with Scathach in hopes of getting our relationship to something less hostile, that was easier said than done. No matter how much I acted nice to Scathach in our interactions, I still received the same cold shoulder and scathing retorts as always from Scathach.

"I wasn't looking at you in particular; I was looking at the chair." I replied as I narrowed my eyes even further. "I'm watching it too see if it will collapse on you, given how much time you spend sitting in it." I said, my tone filled with sarcasm. Scathach however seemed unfazed nor the least bit angry at my sarcastic comment and instead responded in her same cold tone as always.

"If this chair was to collapse on me, it would be because your cheap ass bought it." Scathach replied and I let out another sigh. "Oh well I guess, I think I'd rather have the cold shoulder then the tongue lashing I use to get." I thought to myself before continuing onto my next thought. "Well technically Scathach would still elbow me and pinch me when she would get really angry, but at least she hasn't been punching me or should I say she's wasn't punching me in the face or stomach, arms were still fair game..." I thought to myself as I tapped my chin before I swiveled around in my chair to face my computer monitor. It was best not to antagonize Scathach any further, besides I needed to work on my letter to Jeanne. Grabbing my mouse I swiveled it on the mousepad and the screen lit back up, and I proceeded to open a Microsoft Word Document. Just I was about to begin my letter to Jeanne, I was interrupted….

Ringing filled my ears as my cell phone went off in my jacket pocket. I retracted my hands from my keyboard and reached into my jacket pocket where I grasped my cell phone and pulled it out.

"Who on Earth could be calling me?" I said as I looked down at the screen to see the caller ID. Instead the caller was not someone from my contacts and the number was a foreign number, however I recognized that it was from Japan since I had seen the type of numbering before from Shizuka's number. I tapped the green button on my phone and brought it up to my ear as I waited for the caller to speak.

"Konnichiwa." The voice of an older woman said on the other side. I sat there blankly for a moment not responding.

"I'm afraid you have the wrong number, I'm going to have to hang up now." I said as I brought the phone down from my ear and just as the phone reached my lap I heard a voice cry out.

"Wait No, don't hang up you idiot it's me!" The voice of the woman cried out and I returned my phone to my ear. "It's me Rin Tohsaka!" Rin scowled into my ear.

"Oh?" I murmured.

"Oh is right." Rin replied.

"You should have just said so when you first called me." I said. "How am I supposed to know its you when all I hear is "Konnichiwa" coming from some woman on the other end?" I said, saying Konnichiwa in my best impression of Ms. Tohsaka's voice. This however earned me the wrath of Ms. Tohsaka as she proceeded to chew me out.

"Of course it's me, who else is going to be calling you from Japan you idiot?!" Rin snapped at me through the phone.

"Oh well, I do have a friend from Japan who calls me every now and then. Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to greet me with Moshi Moshi the same cute way my friend does." I murmured and I heard what sounded like a surprised gasp from Ms. Tohsaka.

"You're only supposed to say Moshi Moshi when you're on the receiving end of a call, idiot. More importantly, you have friends?" Rin said. She said that sounding as if she was completely shocked by the fact that I had friends, but then again I can't say that I was surprised that she was surprised.

"Why yes I actually do, I have eight friends, even." I said. "And how many friends do you have?" I inquired and there was a grumble from the other end.

"W-what's it to you?!" Rin stuttered in response.

"You were the one who asked me first, so it's only fair that you answer me." I said and I could only imagine Ms. Tohsaka's face on the other end as I heard more grumbling on the other end.

"S-Six…" Rin murmured as she replied to me.

"Oh? Only Six friends? Are you including family members?" I said raising an eyebrow.

"OF COURSE NOT YOU IDIOT!" Rin barked into my ear which caused me to move the phone away from my ear for a moment before I returned it.

"Relax I was only joking, no need to get all bent out of shape." I said as I chuckled, amused at how easy it was to get her riled up. There was a sigh from the other end and it sounded as if Ms. Tohsaka had recomposed herself.

"You should be thankful to Arturia, if it wasn't for talking to her almost everyday my English would surely not be as good as it is." Rin said.

"I'm sure you'd still manage to chew my head off if you couldn't speak English." I said jokingly and there was a growl from the other end. "But even so, don't you have to deal with the Clock tower regularly since you're a member? I find it hard to believe you'd find many Japanese speaking members in the Heart of London. The Birthplace of the English Language." I added.

"This is true." Rin muttered after a moment and I tilted my head against my phone freeing up one of my hands as I proceeded to begin my letter to Jeanne.

"So what is it that you wish to speak to me about? I doubt this is a social call." I said and there was a pause on the other end before Ms. Tohsaka replied.

"I need to speak to you, in person." Rin said and her tone turned serious and I quit writing my message to Jeanne as I brought my hand back up to my phone.

"Does this mean…?" I inquired.

"I found some information that I think you might want to see for yourself." Rin said. "I don't want to say much over the line, but I think I found out who was responsible for the bombings." Rin said.

"Don't you think that you're acting a bit paranoid? Who could possibly be listening in on our conversation?" I inquired as I scratched my head.

"I won't say anymore than this, but the person who carried out the attack is near the top of Chaldea Security Organization." Rin said and my eyes widened a little as I leaned forward in my chair.

"Are you serious? We knew it was an inside job, but I didn't think it would be someone near the top…" I murmured.

"I won't say anymore. I'll tell you everything face to face. I have all the evidence you'll need to show the Director." Rin said.

"O-Okay where do you want to meet? I can meet you here in the city and we can talk here…" I suggested.

"No I want to meet you elsewhere, I fear that they may have agents watching you, so it would be best to try and put distance between you and where you live." Rin explained. "That way you can possibly try and lose any watchful eyes over you and the surrounding areas." Rin added.

"Alright so where do you want to meet then?" I inquired as I scrambled through my desk drawers to find a pen and pad. After finding one I opened it up and prepared to write down the location.

"Let's meet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania." Rin said.

"Eh? You want to meet in Philly?" I said scratching my head. "Driving to Philadelphia sounded like a real pain, not mention how huge it was and how many people there were. I tended to avoid going to big cities, so it was a huge pain all around." I thought to myself as I wrote Philadelphia on my pad.

"Yes meeting you there is a perfect place, it's so huge that anyone following you is bound to get lost." Rin said and I guess she had a point, although I was equally as likely to get lost in Philly. "Also I hear there are some rich historical places of American History that I'd like to visit." Rin added. Considering she had something super important to tell and show me, I questioned whether going sightseeing was really a smart idea, but I found it best to never question women like Rin Tohsaka.

"Alright so where and when do you want to meet me?" I said with my pen ready.

"I'd like to tell you as soon as possible, but I can't exactly skip out on some obligations I have not to mention I have to make preparations." Rin said with a sigh and it sounded like she was scratching her head in frustration. "So how does two weeks from now sound?" Rin inquired and I looked over my calendar down on my computer. Not that I needed too, as I knew that I didn't have anything planned. All I ever did was work, play games in my downtime, and sleep. The only highlighted date in December was Christmas and Christmas Eve, but other than that there were no important dates or meetings.

"Two weeks sounds fine, so where do you want to meet exactly?" I asked.

"How about later in the day, we can have dinner while we talk about it." Rin said sounding amused and I let out a sigh. "However where exactly I want Dinner has yet to be decided so I'll text you the location when I find a good place to eat." Rin said and it was my turn to sigh.

"What do I look like to you? A piggy bank?" I grumbled.

"Oh calm down, I'll be paying for my own dinner." Rin said and I scratched my head.

"Alright then..." I said and paused for a moment. "Should I inform the Director about this?" I inquired and Rin's response was swift and strong.

"No absolutely not." Rin replied sternly. "Do not tell anyone at Chaldea about this until you see what I have to show you. I'll let you decide what to do after you've seen the information I have…" Rin said.

"O-Okay then." I said taken aback a little. "Exactly who was the traitor at Chaldea? It couldn't be the Director herself could it?" I thought to myself.

"I'll see you in two weeks." Rin said.

"Yeah I'll see you then. Goodbye." I said.

"Jane." Rin said, sounding a bit like she was mocking me for what I had said early on in our conversation. With that the line went dead as Ms. Tohsaka had hung up and I lowered the phone from my ear and stared at the black screen on my phone before putting my hand over my mouth. "What information could Rin possibly have to show me? Who could it be in Chaldea that carried out that devastating attack 2 years ago? We had known that it was an inside job, but I had really never thought about it. Let alone have thought that it was somewhere near the top. Could it be the Director? No it couldn't be, her whole mission is to preserve humanity? What about Roman? No that's impossible, Roman isn't capable of hurting a fly. Anderson? No, I've known Anderson my whole career and he's got a wife and daughter he talks about passionately, there's no way he'd want humanities destruction…. Who could it be….?" I thought to myself as I tried to wrack my brain trying to figure out who it could possibly be. I had completely put any thoughts about our inside mole in the back of my head, because I had thought that they had been long gone by now. They could be for all I know, but Rin had been making it sound right they were still there. I continued to sit there for several minutes before I looked up at my screen to see my letter that I had begun to Jeanne. I scooted closer towards my computer screen and set my phone down on my desk. "For now all I could do is wait until my meeting with Rin, when I met with her I would figure it all out. For now I'll just carry on as usual, if what Rin said was true, it might be best not to raise suspicion." I thought to myself as I rested my hands on my keyboard and picked off where I had left off with my letter to Jeanne…

Dear Jeanne,

Of course I will write to you Jeanne, I very much miss speaking to you. So it would be a pleasure to write to you. First off let me say that I am very much pleased to hear that you are finally able to read and write Jeanne, I knew you could do it. Despite what you said I do want to apologize for not being the one to teach you like I promised and I hope you will not bear any resentment towards me.

Now to answer your first question. America is a land far to the West of France across the spanning ocean, four thousand seven hundred and seventy five miles to be exact. It is vast land made up of many rivers, lakes, and mountains. It is also a land of Eagles, Bacon, and Guns….. I joke of course. You are currently a few hundred miles North of America right now Jeanne near the Arctic Circle. It's quite hard to explain America in words; I hope you will be able to see if for yourself one day. However I hope you might take some interest in knowing that your country of France helped America two hundred years ago gain our independence from the British during our revolution, so our countries have had a long friendship….

Two Weeks Later

I pulled the closet door shut to see my reflection in the mirror face me. I buttoned up my jacket before straightening out my tie. I straightened out my jacket as I finished pulling myself together after buttoning up the last button on my jacket. I made my way over towards the door and grasped the handle pulling the door open, before I headed out I stopped in the doorway and looked over my shoulder.

"I've got something I need to do, so I'm taking a short trip somewhere Scathach, I'll be back in a day or two. While I'm gone you're in charge of the house." I said.

"Sure." Scathach said without the slightest indication of interest as she did not look up at me as she turned a page in her book. I could only face forward and rub the back of my neck in awkwardness, before I stepped out into the hallway and made my way into the living room. A friendly chipper voice greeted me as I did.

"Good Morning Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed. I turned around to face Mashu as she sat on the living room couch on her tablet. I smiled in reply to Mashu who was looking my over curiously. "Senpai are you going somewhere?"

"Ah Yes I am. I have to take a personal trip somewhere." I said as I walked over to where Mashu was and sat down on the edge of the couch next to her.

"What's this personal trip for Senpai?" Mashu inquired. "Can I come with you?"

"I'm going to go meet with… an old friend." I said after a moment's hesitation. "I haven't seen them in awhile so we're just going to catch up, it's nothing special Mashu. No need to come along, it would just be boring for you." I said as I reached up and patted Mashu's head.

"Okay Senpai! I hope you enjoy your time with your friend!" Mashu exclaimed with an affectionate smile and I smiled in return.

"I will, Thank you Mashu." I said with a nod of my head. "I'll be leaving Scathach in charge while I'm gone. So please listen to her alright." I said and Mashu ruffled her eyebrows a little bit.

"O-Okay Senpai." Mashu said hesitantly.

"Don't worry Mashu, I'll be back in a day or two." I said as I stood up and patted Mashu on the head. "Don't cause too much trouble for Scathach now you hear?" I said jokingly and Mashu giggled.

"I won't, I promise Senpai." Mashu said as I turned around and made my way towards the door. As I opened a kitchen drawer and retrieved my car keys, I heard footsteps behind me and when I turned around I found Mashu standing behind me.

"Please stay safe Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed as she looked up at me with her fist raised.

"Don't worry Mashu, I'll be fine." I said giving her a pat on the head and walked past her to the door. As I opened the door Mashu and Shadow stood by and watched me leave.

"Goodbye Senpai, I'll see you soon!" Mashu said as she waved goodbye. I returned Mashu's wave.

"Bye Mashu, be back soon." I said casually as I walked outside into the falling snow…

I walked down the stairs carefully with one hand on the railing, so I didn't slip and fall. It would be one short trip if I didn't even make it down the stairs. As my feet touched the ground I put my hands into my pockets and made my way over to my car where I unlocked it. Grasping the door handle I opened the car door before quickly getting inside with the slam of the door. I pulled the key out of my pocket and put into the ignition, the car roared to life. I pushed the brake down, placed my foot down on the clutch pedal, and rested my hand on the shifter. Shifting into first gear the car slowly rolled forward. What would naturally be something normal to me, made me feel a little uneasy as I slowly inched forward. "Yes it was best not to get Mashu or Scathach involved in this until I found out what was really going on…" I thought to myself, trying to reassure myself as I pushed my foot down on the pedal and pulled out of the driveway and began my long journey to Philadelphia...

* * *

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	10. Chapter Ten Revelations

**Chapter Ten**

**Revelations**

* * *

As I cruised down the Highway, the bustling city of Philadelphia finally came into view after the five hour long journey. Even though I had left the snow storm behind me in Pittsburgh, I could see that Philadelphia already had on a light blanket of snow, while the sun shined weakly in the sky. It wouldn't be long before the snowstorm in Pittsburgh came to Philadelphia and more snow would stack on top of the already existing snow. On the bright side of things, the later half of my trip home wouldn't be in a snow storm. Not that I minded the snow, it just wasn't fun to drive in. I pushed my foot further down on the gas and sped along the rest of the way to Philly, with flurries of snow kicking up around my car as I raced down the highway.

Shortly later I would find myself regretting my decision to rush to get here as I was now grinded to a halt in bumper to bumper traffic. This is why I didn't like going to cities, because of all the goddamn traffic. Although that did leave one to question why I lived outside of Pittsburgh and not in a small town. That was a good question, one I did ask myself often amid a bunch of other questions. I didn't have a very good answer for that question, the best answer I could give one was that I lived on the outside of the city and going to the outskirts wasn't as bad. That and Pittsburgh was a wee bit smaller than Philadelphia, and by wee bit smaller I mean 1.2 Million people smaller. I had lived in small towns in my life and I had come to miss having access to the stores I had access to while living near in a Small City. Maybe one day I would move to a smaller city with a population under a hundred thousand, however that would have to wait for another day. All these questions would have to wait for another time as well, because today I was going to find out from Ms. Tohsaka who had been behind the bombings and perhaps behind all of the singularities as well. This meeting with Ms. Tohsaka did leave me feeling a bit nervous now that I was close to finding out what she had discovered. I had tried my best for the past two weeks not to let my mind become occupied with what I would find out, however all this time suppressing these thoughts was now slowly eating away at me as I sat in traffic. What information did Ms. Tohsaka possibly have to show me? Where did she get it from? How did she find it when Clock tower had been unable to even find a single lead? Who was it at the top of Chaldea Security Organization that was behind things? Was I really being watched by Chaldea? Have they always been watching me? Were they watching my Sister? Or have they been watching everyone? If so that must mean they have the authority to do so, and there are only a handful of people who could even authorize such a thing. I had formulated some opinions or you could say theories on who had been behind the incident, but I didn't have much information to formulate these theories so they were really just opinions. Before I had learned it was someone higher up, it had been my theory that it had just been some disgruntled Chaldea employee that carried out these bombings to get revenge for something like hating their boss or not getting a raise. It might sound crazy, but people would shoot up their workplaces for stupider things than that. However that theory fell pretty flat, because I don't think not getting a raise or hating your boss would cause you to want to end humanity, or at least I don't think it would be enough reason. I didn't know to be honest; I had avoided thinking about the larger picture and hadn't really put much thought into who was behind all of this. Which probably wasn't a smart move on my part, but I didn't exactly have much to go on except for vague words from Alter Saber and the ramblings of a mad man like Gilles. So all I had was my opinions, disgruntled opinions as I rested my head against the wheel waiting in traffic…

Eventually I escaped from the slow grog of traffic and was moving again. I glanced down at the clock and saw that I had gotten here a bit early, for it was only twelve pm. Ms. Tohsaka and I were suppose to meet for dinner, but that wouldn't be for at least a few more hours. I wonder if I should look around a little bit or if I should just go find Ms. Tohsaka right away. I guess I should find a parking space first before I do anything. I drove up and down the streets of Philadelphia for awhile until I found a suitable parking garage and headed inside where I parked on the top floor. I pulled up the parking break and turned the key to the engine and it drifted off to sleep. All that was left was to get out of the car and find Ms. Tohsaka, simple enough right? "Yeah right, trying to find anyone or anything in this city was not easy." I thought to myself as I opened the door and my feet hit the ground. Once I reached the bottom of the parking garage and was out on the street I looked left to right to see a few people walking up and down the street. I had half expected for Ms. Tohsaka to appear out of nowhere like she had last time, however that did not appear to be the case this time. I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out my smartphone, Mashu, Shadow, and my own smiling face greeted me on the home screen as it turned on. I swiped my thumb across the screen and navigated through my phone to my messenger and I selected Ms. Tohsaka's contact and shot her a message.

"I just got in Philadelphia Ms. Tohsaka, where should I meet you?" I asked her. A few minutes passed by and I was about to think perhaps Ms. Tohsaka had dragged me out here just to send me a message saying that it was all a big joke and she wanted to make me waste money coming here. However I did receive a reply.

"Oh? You're here quite early, that's unexpected. However I can't say I hate when a man actually shows up early, it's refreshing to be honest. Unfortunately for you, I am still exploring the city at the moment. So you'll have to wait a few hours." Rin replied and I stood there scratching my head.

"What the hell am I supposed to do for three or four hours?" I quickly inquired.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out, there's plenty to do here. When I've found a place to meet up I'll send you a text message, until then!" Rin replied and I let out a groan as I stood there furrowing my eyebrows. I tucked my phone back into my coat pocket and looked around thinking what the hell I was gonna do for three hours? I had no idea, maybe I could try and do some shopping while I was here, but I didn't want to go any deeper into the city, because I was liable to get lost and then I would certainly be late to my meeting with Ms. Tohsaka. I guess I'll wander at least a little for a while until Ms. Tohsaka finishes her sightseeing tour. It was only a few minutes and I found that my feet had instead lead me to a bench overlooking the riverfront. I walked in front of the bench and plopped down with an oomph. I rested back against the bench with my hands crossed across my chest, looking up the river I saw an Old Battleship that had no doubt been turned into a museum while looking down I saw nothing much but industrial areas along the river. Eventually I just looked up into the sky and sat there in deep thought….

A Few Hours Later

I had spent my hours watching the ripples on the waterside of the river as the occasional boat would pass by. The sun was beginning to set in the sky and it was then when I felt a vibration in my coat pocket. I pulled my phone out once more to see a text on my front screen from Ms. Tohsaka telling me to meet her at a place called the Delaware Crossing. Man what an odd name for a restaurant, but I guess it's not too surprising since we were sitting on the Delaware River. I swiped my screen and shot Ms. Tohsaka a text message.

"Where exactly is this place?" I asked.

"Mm it's sitting on the Delaware River off of any roads tucked in between of several buildings." Rin replied and I smacked my forehead in frustration as I opened up my map app and searched for where this place was. Much to my annoyance, it was located on the other side of the city opposite of where I was.

"It's gonna take me awhile to get to where you're at. Since you so kindly choose a place on the other side of the city." I sent a message letting Ms. Tohsaka know.

"Take your time, but don't take too long." Rin replied and I could only grumble to myself. I was too much of a cheapskate to take a taxi so I guess I was walking. I could just follow the river to get to where Ms. Tohsaka was no need to go through the city directly.

It had been an hour, but eventually I reached the other side of the city and had reached a point where the main road that followed alongside the river curved and went westwards. At the end of the corner of this road was a small park on the river side with several benches facing the water and some bushes and plotted trees. Past the small park I saw an pathway that was tucked in between of several buildings and the river. I slid my hands into my pockets and headed towards the pathway, reaching the entrance to the pathway I saw it lead alongside the river with several storefronts and several more benches were spread out along this pathway. With so many benches in this city you could never complain that you couldn't find a place to rest. I made my way down that path glancing at the shops as I did and keeping an eye out for Ms. Tohsaka, and eventually I found her. Ms. Tohsaka was sitting outside of a cafe, at her table sipping happily from a small coffee mug, not having a care in the world.

"You seem to be enjoying that expresso Ms. Tohsaka." I said as I approached her and placed my hand on the back of the chair facing her to pull it out.

"Well Yes I am." Rin replied. "I have to, since the tea you Americans drink is completely awful." Rin said.

"You better watch out Ms. Tohsaka, we'll dump your tea into the harbor if you go on trashing our tea." I said jokingly as I pulled my jacket off and took a seat in front of her, scooting forward.

"Hmph very funny Christopher. Any tea that came from Japan would arrive on the West Coast not the East Coast." Rin said as she placed her teacup down. Opening her eyes she revealed her emerald colored eyes. Rin was wearing the same outfit I had saw her in last time, her red coat was sitting on the chair behind her and she had on a white turtleneck and black leggings and long dark brown boots. "So I assume since we're both sitting here the last singularity was a success?" Rin inquired.

"It's as you say. We wouldn't be sitting here if it had been a failure." I replied as I rested my hands on the table.

"May I inquire as to where this grail war took place?" Rin inquired as she interlocked her fingers.

"This time it was during the Hundred Years War in France." I replied.

"I see, an interesting time to say the least. Did you meet Joan of Arc?" Rin asked.

"Oh yeah, I sure did. The whole singularity centered around her and an alter version of herself." I said and Rin's eyes widened a little in either surprise or confusion.

"You're telling me that the world almost ended this time because of a battle between two Joan of Arc's?" Rin asked looking almost unconvinced.

"Well I'm not a History Major Ms. Tohsaka, but I think history would have been a bit different if there had been an evil Jeanne D'arc running around the world burning everyone with Dragons." I said just as Waiter came by and put a glass of water down, I thanked them with a nod of the head as I picked it up and took a sip.

"T-That's true…" Rin murmured as she seemed to grasp my simple and straight to the point answer.

"Anyway where's Arturia?" I inquired as I placed my glass of water back down.

"Well, I very well can't drag her around everywhere I go." Rin said as she rubbed her hands. "Arturia has a life outside of my own; she has kids to look after, a troublesome husband to watch over, and a job to work. The Christmas season is also upon us so I'm sure you can figure out that she's busy, even though Shirou does help out a lot." Rin added.

"I can visualize the image now, the King of Knights working in the kitchen while kids run around the house causing trouble and her husband watching the News as she yells at him to help." I said amusingly as I stroked my chin.

"Oh No! Arturia doesn't do any of the cooking! Shirou does all the cooking around their household since Arturia is an absolute terrible cook, but Arturia does her part and keeps herself busy with looking after the kids and cleaning the house. You could say she's the man in their relationship." Rin said and I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? I see." I replied.

"Yes. Now I also see you didn't bring your servant with you? The red headed woman with the matching red spear." Rin said.

"No I didn't bring her along with me. I didn't tell anyone where I was going; I just told them that I was visiting an old friend." I said and that caused Ms. Tohsaka to chuckle.

"Oh we're old friends now? Usually it takes more than just one or two conversations in Japan for someone to become "Old friends"." Rin said sounding amused as she rubbed her cup.

"I had to tell her something alright!" I exclaimed. "It was the best thing that I could think of at the time." I said and Ms. Tohsaka only chuckled some more.

"I'm surprised she let you go that easily, Arturia would never have let Shirou leave the house during the grail war without a long and heated debate." Rin said.

"Yeah well I don't think Lancer particularly cares what happens to me." I said and Ms. Tohsaka raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, are you ever going to tell me exactly how Arturia is still even in this world or how your Grail war played out?" I inquired as I wagged my straw at her, causing water to go everywhere before I put back into my cup.

"Well I think it would only be fair to tell you, but it's not exactly a short story…" Rin said.

"Well I didn't drive for five hours and then sit around staring at the water for another three hours to hear short stories." I said.

"S-stare at the water for three hours! I told you to go out and do something; there were plenty of things to do in the city idiot!" Rin exclaimed. "What kind of idiot stares at the water for three hours!? How can you even do that?" Rin demanded.

"The same way I lay and stare at the stars for hours at a time." I replied and Rin was taken aback at my response. "Besides how can you expect me to casually go shopping while you're holding vital information that's been keeping me on the edge of my seat for two weeks?" I said and Rin furrowed her eyebrows.

"A-Alright I get it!" Rin exclaimed. "I guess I really hadn't given much thought to how on edge you must be feeling since I've been sitting on this information for several months now." Rin said as she let out a sigh. "So I guess I'll start with how our Grail War played out. Although I'm sure that I don't need to tell you every single detail because you experienced some of it for yourself." Rin said as she interlocked her fingers.

"Before you go any further and we get lost in that conversation, perhaps we should order dinner." I suggested and the mood became a little less dreary as Rin's face light up.

"Yes you're quite right, pretty soon we might not even have an appetite to eat!" Rin exclaimed. "I think I'd like to have a Philly cheesesteak, I had heard this place made pretty good ones!" Rin added.

"Yeah I think I'll have that too, I mean there's no better place to have a Philly cheesesteak than in Philadelphia." I said amusingly. The Waiter came up to our table and took our orders before heading inside the cafe, and a few minutes later was back with our orders...

I wiped my hands with my napkin before I placed it down next to my empty plate before looking up. Across from me Ms. Tohsaka wiped her mouth with her napkin and placed it down as well. We had finished our Philly cheesesteaks and now sat there silently staring at one another. I cleared my throat as a way to try and get the conversation moving again.

"Ahem Ms. Tohsaka, now that we've had dinner shall we proceed with our conversation." I said as I coughed into my hand. Ms. Tohsaka sat there for a moment silently before she interlocked her fingers once more as she rested her face against them.

"Yes as I said before I won't go into every single detail since I'm sure you've read the reports on the Holy Grail War yourself, not to mention you experienced it for yourself." Rin said and I nodded my head. "Although be it drastically different from our own war." Rin said.

"I've read the reports that Clock tower has available, but they weren't particularly informative." I said as I rested my arms on the table.

"Well the reports only tell part of the story, I'm sure you are aware." Rin said as she glanced up at me. "It was twenty years ago during the colder than usual winter months as it is now, that the fifth Holy Grail War began. It was only ten years after the fourth one, which was highly unusual given that there is usually a span of sixty years between wars." Rin said.

"And why did it only take ten years for the Fifth Grail War to start?" I inquired.

"I can only really theorize, but I'm pretty sure that the wait time was reduced drastically because the Grail utilized energy left over from the previous war." Rin replied before continuing.

"Anyway, The Fifth Holy Grail was like all before it: Seven Masters summon seven servants and they fight to the death until only one remains, or at least that's how it was supposed to go. As I'm sure you are aware things didn't work out that way." Rin said.

"Hunger games was a thing before the Movies even happened." I said jokingly.

"If Hunger Games had powerful Historical figures and Legends who brutally slaughtered one another, then sure." Rin said. "I can only give you my perspective of how the Holy Grail War played out along with what Shirou and Saber have told me." Rin said and I nodded my head. "For my part the Grail started off when I finally finished an annoying puzzle that my Father had left me and opened up a box where I found a smashed up catalyst and pendant. I of course was disappointed, but little did I know how important that pendant would end up being." Rin said. "The next day after school I began the summoning ritual to try and summon Saber. As you already know I summoned the Archer class Servant much to my extreme disappointment." Rin went on.

"Archer was extremely arrogant, annoying, and cynical. When we first met he was sitting there smugly in the ruins of my house after he crashed through the roof, then he had the gall to question if I was worthy of being his master and then down right refused to follow my orders." Rin said and I saw her eyebrow twitching furiously as she seemed to remember. "Well after using a command seal I sure showed him who the Master was and we had a lengthy discussion afterwards, he also informed me that he had no memories of who he was. Which had been a lie, but I'll explain that later." Rin said.

"The following day I told Archer who I was, and I experienced some more of Archer's sarcastic side. I spent that day showing Archer around the city so he could get a lay of the land, and at the end of the day on top of a skyscraper he said "Oh you should have just took me here to begin with, as I can see everything up here."" Rin said in a mocking tone. " I carried on as normal to school with Archer, it was then when I discovered someone had put up a blood forge barrier around the school and well that really pissed me off." Rin said. "So Archer and I spent all after school taking out all the sigils to the barrier to try and slow it down. It was on the roof where Archer and I encountered our first enemy of the Grail War, The Lancer Class Servant. Lancer came off as extremely sarcastic and a bit playful, but I could tell that he was no joke." Rin said and I sat back in my seat. "That sounds nothing like Scathach who was stubborn, unfriendly, hostile, and dangerous to all around her. That Lancer could have never gotten along with Scathach; they would have hated each other." I thought to myself before listening to Rin carry on. "Archer and I got off the roof as quickly as we could to gain the advantage over Lancer…." Rin said just before being cut off.

"Wait, Wait. Wouldn't you have the advantage on the roof since spears have the advantage of having a wide reach? So wouldn't you want to get in as close as possible?" I asked.

"Are you saying this because your Servant is a Lancer?" Rin inquired back.

"W-Well not really." I said awkwardly as I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know much about spears other than what I've watched in videos and observed from Lancer." I said.

"I see." Rin said calmly. "Well incase you had forgotten my servant was an Archer class servant so I thought he would want to have as much range as possible to use his bow, that and being cornered is never a good thing idiot." Rin said as she took a sip from her water. "Little did I know Archer fought using blades so they fought in melee combat." Rin added.

"Is he even classified as an actual Archer then?" I inquired.

"Hell if I know." Rin replied. "Anyway, Archer and Lancer fought a pretty brutal battle while I got my first taste of real battle. I realized then and there that battles between servants really were no joke. For some reason Archer and Lancer seemed to really hate each other more than you would expect servants to hate each other, but at the same time they would make snide and sarcastic remarks to the other. Trying to provoke one another." Rin pointed out. "It's not really an important detail, but just an observation I made. Anyway Archer and Lancer fought up until Lancer was about to use his Noble Phantasm and I thought it was going to be all over…

"But As luck would have it a certain boy had stayed at school late at night to clean the archery club and interrupted Lancer and Archers fight, saving both of our lives, but at the same time it had cost him his own." Rin said. "As per the rules, Lancer sought him out and killed him. I found the boy laying in a pool of his own blood stabbed through the heart, when I turned him over I recognized him as a boy that a friend of mine visited and stayed with regularly. So I used the gem my father had left me to reconstruct his heart and save him…." Rin said.

"Or perhaps Ms. Tohsaka felt guilt…." I said just before I felt a sharp pain in my foot as Ms. Tohsaka slammed her heel down on my toe.

"Shut up you idiot, I told you that it was because it was a friend of mines dear friend and I couldn't handle the thought of her having to find out the boy she admired and respected had been killed." Rin said and I felt as she lifted her heel off of my toe. "I had returned home afterwards and Archer came back telling me he couldn't have tracked down Lancer's Master, but he had gone and retrieved the pendant that I had used." Rin said. "Or so I had thought he had, but anyway. It was then when Archer reminded me that Lancer would hunt down and kill the boy after he found out that he was alive. So Archer and I rushed to the boy's house to try and save him." Rin explained. "However it turned out that the boy had not needed saving as he had summoned the Seventh Servant, The Saber Class." Rin said.

"Arturia Pendragon? So that means the boy you saved was that Shirou fellow." I said and Rin nodded her head.

"Yes that's correct. Upon arriving at Shirou's house, Saber almost immediately killed Archer and I catching us off guard. If it hadn't been for Shirou telling Saber to stop and some cunning on my own part, I'd probably be dead." Rin explained.

"So I guess you could say that the debt was repaid immediately afterwards?" I said.

"I guess you could say that, Shirou, Saber, and I had a lengthy discussion afterwards as I explained to him what he had gotten dragged into and what servants were. He was as humble and kind as I had heard; he didn't even bother pretending like he had been able to hold Lancer off until he summoned Saber." Rin said before continuing. "It was then that I decided to take Shirou and Saber to the Church so the Overseer could explain the rules and what the grail wars were to him and let him decide if he wanted to participate in the grail wars." Rin explained. "It wasn't a particularly interesting conversation so I won't bore you, the Overseer was Kirei Kotomine and he explained to Shirou the rules while Shirou argued against the whole idea of the wars and even wanted to give up his command of Saber until he finally gave in at the end." Rin said.

"Kotomine… I've heard of that name, we actually found his body in the Fuyuki Singularity, he had been killed at the church." I said and Ms. Tohsaka's eyes appeared to flicker.

"Well I can't say that I'm really sad that he died, In fact I would say I'm quite glad to hear he got killed again." Rin said.

"Yes I had heard he was a real scumbag who had been the "Evil Mastermind" during the Fifth Holy Grail War." I said.

"Well you're right, so that saves me some trouble of explaining that all to you." Rin explained. "Now then after we finished our conversation with Kotomine we were attacked outside of the Church by Illya Von Einzbern and her Monster of a Servant Berserker, to sum up that fight Berserker basically wiped the floor with us even though Archer had provided Fire support from afar, and Saber had done a lot of the heavy lifting. All the while Illya watched on amusingly." Rin said.

"Wait if this Master Illya was there, and Saber was fighting berserker, why didn't you just tell Archer to snipe this Illya girl while Berserker was distracted." I suggested.

"Y-You're suggesting I should have told Archer to snipe a little girl?" Rin exclaimed.

"Well I'm just saying!? The point of the Grail wars was originally to kill the masters and servants; I'm just saying you would have saved yourself a lot of trouble!" I exclaimed and I heard a grumble from Rin.

"You're probably right, but suffice to say Hercules, her servant, was really a Monster who completely beat Saber down. The fight ended with Shirou throwing himself in front of one of Hercules attacks to try and save Saber who was beaten pretty badly. Shirou almost got sliced in half from Berserker's massive sword." Rin said.

"That sounds like a great way to make use of your chance at a second life." I said sarcastically. "Really showing his gratitude to you for saving his life." I added.

"Tell me about it…. Well suffice to say I think we were all so dumbstruck by his stupidity that we ended the fight and went home." Rin said. "Shirou of course didn't die from his wounds, as once Saber and I carried him home, his injuries appeared to heal themself and after that I left him and Saber to their own devices." Rin said. "After that I heard that Shirou eventually revealed Saber to the other people staying at his household with Saber being allowed to say after she beat Shirou's de facto godmother." Rin said. "Meanwhile Archer and I attempted to hunt down Caster who was spreading mayhem about the city by draining people of their life source." Rin said. "We didn't have much luck on our end, and my next real meeting with Shirou would be at School where I would find him without his servant like a big idiot. You could say I got a little mad and tried to kill him, but it was interrupted as an innocent girl ended up getting attacked and we stopped what we were doing to help her. Shirou ended up saving my life again as he took a spike through his arm to protect my head from getting impaled." Rin said.

"Jesus Christ, how many times can this boy get stabbed?" I said scratching my head.

"Oh don't worry we haven't even finished the story yet, he gets stabbed plenty more." Rin said. "After that Shirou went out to stupidly try and fight Rider who tried to kill me, I stepped in saving him from Rider and we ended the fight as I took him back to my place to heal his injuries. His injury had healed up like last time and it was there that we made a truce to take out the other Master at school and stop him from harming the students. Suffice to say that truce just ended up lasting the whole war." Rin said and I had figured that much.

"You two just keep saving each other over and over then repaying your debt over and over." I said and Rin sighed.

"Yes I know this." Rin said. "Shirou also told me about his training and father. Anyway after he went home I had heard Saber had gotten pretty mad at Shirou for not summoning her for that fight." Rin said and I imagined Scathach chewing me out if that had happened. "The next day we had made a promise to look around school and take out all the sigil's to try and get a response from the Master who put up the bounded field. We took out a lot of them that day, but after I had left Shirou ended up being brought to school where he found a massive one and Shinji Matou revealed himself to be the Master of Rider and person who put up the field to Shirou. I had gone back to Shirou's place to look for him, but I hadn't found him there and Saber was impatiently waiting for him as well. Eventually he came back and told us that Shinji had made him an offer to join up, Shirou turned it down however. It was then when we discussed Caster, who Shinji had given Shirou information that Caster was up at the temple with an Assassin Servant, then Saber and Shirou had some argument about Caster, because Saber wanted to go up there immediately and fight her but Shirou was like oh no that's not happening." Rin said.

"I think that Saber was going to go up there and fight her that night, but unfortunately for Shirou and Saber, Caster had already made plans to bring Saber to her. Caster ended up kidnapping Shirou so Saber went to rescue him where she fought Assassin while Archer had also decided to intervene and protect Shirou. That didn't turn out so well as Archer had almost killed Shirou up at the temple after they had a fight, this would only be the beginning of a deeper hatred between those two. Saber also got her ass handed by Assassin so she almost fainted and those two ended up dragging themselves back to Shirou's house while Archer fought against Assassin, I ended up finding those two almost passed out in the front door of the house." Rin explained. "After that they explained to me what happened and they got into another argument where Saber wanted Shirou to stop trying to fight and let Saber do all the fighting and Shirou was like No I don't want you to fight by yourself and get hurt, and then I intervened and Saber allowed Shirou to fight only if Shirou would agree to train under Saber. Shirou agreed to Saber's conditions and the following day they beat each other till Shirou bleed." Rin said with the wave of her hand. "I ended up scolding Archer pretty hard and used a Command seal on him forcing him not to attack Shirou again until our truce had ended." Rin said and that made me start to wonder if I could use a command seal on Scathach to stop her from punching me. "While Saber and Shirou were beating each other, Shinji came up to me at School and made me the same offer he made to Shirou. I turned him down of course which made him mad." Rin said looking quite pleased with herself.

"The next day when I was telling Shirou about this at Lunch, Shinji activated the barrier to try and kill us all and use our mana to make Rider more powerful." Rin said. "Things didn't really go his way of course as Shirou used a command seal to summon Saber after getting thrown out a window by Rider, I had tried to call Archer to assist us, but he didn't arrive until after the battle was over." Rin explained. "After I barely held off Rider, Saber and Shirou came back to help me. Rider was no match for Saber and Shirou made Shinji turn off the barrier, but it didn't end there because Rider ended up using her Noble phantasm to escape with Shinji. After that Shirou called Kotomine to help with the hundred of students who had passed out from the incident, and yes he surprisingly did actually help the students, I guess to make himself less suspicious." Rin said before I could open my mouth. "After that Shirou, Saber, and I met up with Archer and we talked things over in the woods. Archer and Saber got into an argument and Archer teased Saber, which was highly unusual, and they almost fought one another till I stepped in. Shirou told me that Saber and him were going to go hunt down Shinji and Rider while I went home with Archer." Rin went on. "Shirou and Saber basically went up and down the city searching for barriers that Shinji might have put up until they eventually found Rider and Shinji at the top of a skyscraper, it was there where Rider and Saber went Noble Phantasm to Noble Phantasm and Saber's Noble Phantasm Excalibur completely wiped out Rider and her Phantasmal beast. With Rider dead Shinji fled for his life and Arturia passed out because she had completely drained almost all her mana when she used Excalibur, Shinji wound up being killed by Berserker and Illya who had been watching the fight." Rin explained.

"I can't say I feel bad for Shinji." I said and Rin nodded in agreement.

"I didn't particularly want him to die, but I don't feel bad that he is dead. He wasn't really a good person and treated his sister horribly." Rin said which only made me reaffirm my opinion. "Anyway when I dropped by Shirou's house I found him with Saber in her room and after examining her I explained how dire his situation was, since Shirou could not replenish Saber with mana Saber would not be able to restore enough of her mana to be able to fight and if she tried to fight she would disappear. I basically told him that his only real option was to force Saber to do drain peoples life force so save her, Shirou of course refused. It left him pretty troubled and he spent most of the day looking after Saber, until he eventually went out I think to try and gather his thoughts." Rin explained. "However he ended up getting kidnapped by Illya due to how weak he is. I had stayed at Shirou's house to look after Saber, it was when Saber woke up and looked around for Shirou and couldn't find her, that she came to me and pleaded for my help to rescue him. I couldn't really refuse and I brought Archer along with us begrudgingly, since he had been against saving Shirou and wanted to leave him to his fate." Rin said.

"I can't say I'm surprised since he had tried to kill him." I said which caused Rin to sigh.

"Well anyway Saber lead us to Einzbern Castle where Illya and Berserker were." Rin said. "We found Shirou unharmed in the castle as he had escaped captivity, so with Shirou in hand we fled the Castle. However it wasn't that easy." Rin said.

"It usually never is." I said with a chuckle.

"No it never is, we had foolishly tried to escape through the front door. We had thought that Illya and Berserker left to find to go find us. Instead they had been there all along watching us, Berserker and Illya confronted us when we tried to leave." Rin went onto explain. "Saber was in no condition to fight so I told Archer to cover us while we escaped, but Archer told me if I would be okay if he killed Berserker. I told him to go ahead and kill Berserker." Rin said and her eyes saddened. "But that idiot ended up getting killed as Berserker was too much for even him. Archer did however give us enough time to escape far into the forest however." Rin said in a somber tone. "It was there where we made a desperate move to replenish Saber's mana." Rin said and for the first time Ms. Tohsaka appeared to be a bit flustered. "Shirou transferred some of his magical circuits to Saber so she could regenerate mana again to be able to fight." Rin said.

"Ms. Tohsaka, your face is getting so red that it might melt the snow." I said with an amused grin on my face. This only caused Ms. Tohsaka to get even more flustered as she shot her head up from behind her hands.

"S-Shut up you idiot! The process involved getting very close and physical to each other." Rin said and I raised an eyebrow. "Also stop calling me Ms. Tohsaka it's weird and makes me feel old! Just call me Rin!" Rin exclaimed.

"Alright, Alright! Carry on Rin." I said as I waved my hands in front of me. Ms. Tohs… I mean Rin only narrowed her eyes at me before she let out a sigh and carried on.

"Well anyway, that was sufficient enough to allow Saber to regenerate Mana to fight again. We then proceeded to formulate a strategy to fight Berserker and Illya. We choose to ambush him in the forest where Shirou would support Saber and I would lay in wait to launch a surprise attack on Berserker with my gems. It didn't quite go as expected as Berserker once again wiped the floor with Saber as she couldn't use Excalibur without the risk of fading away, my ambush also didn't go as planned either because I got caught in Berserkers hand and even though I blew his head off with my stash of gems. I only took one of Hercules lives, and since he had twelve lives, and Archer had only taken six of his lives. I was in quite the predicament, and Berserker crushed me in his arm until I passed out." Rin said as she pressed her face against her hands. "When I woke up I found Saber and Shirou standing there with a sword stabbed through Berserkers chest. Shirou had apparently used projection magic to project one Saber's Holy sword Caliburn that she had lost, that sword had been enough to slash off Berserkers arm and take the rest of his lives. There was a brief moment before he disappeared and all that was left was Illya. Saber was going to kill Illya, but Shirou stopped her of course. Instead we took Illya back to our place much to our displeasure." Rin said.

"It ended up being a brilliant decision on Shirou's part, as I figured out Illya was the Vessel for the Holy Grail. So having her with us actually put us at a major advantage." Rin said.

"Wait I don't understand?" I interjected. "What do you mean she was the vessel of the Holy Grail?" I asked.

"Illya was a homunculus, while mages are living beings with magical circuits; Illya was magical circuits with a human body." Rin explained and I let out an oh as I sat back in my chair.

"Well anyway if you've been using your official Rin Servant Tracker, you'll know that there were only a few more servants left in the running. None of them we thought could provide a major threat to Saber. Or so we thought…." Rin murmured. "Our next target was taking out Caster who had silently been watching the war from the sidelines, with the exception of draining innocents in the city of their mana and that one time when she kidnapped Shirou, but that had all taken a backseat to Berserker." Rin said. "However with him gone, we could focus all of our attention on Caster. We had known that Caster was at the Temple, but not who her Master was. Archer had suggested that her Master was being used at a Puppet, which I agreed with. We also had suspicion that the fourth Master was at our School. So we spent the course of two days searching the school for any clues as to who the fourth master at school was and eventually we learned from one of Shirou's close friends, Issei Ryuudou, that one our school teachers Souichirou Kuzuki was living with a strange yet beautiful woman who was suppose to be his wife, so he seemed to fit the bill of someone who would be Caster's Master. So we decided to test him out to see if he really was Caster's master." Rin said. "We laid in wait to ambush him at an abandoned gas station on the route to the temple, and suffice to say things didn't go well. He was indeed Caster's master, but he wasn't your typical mage, he was a trained assassin who had been taught to kill people since his childhood. We got our asses kicked by Caster and Kuzuki, Kuzuki was even able to fight Saber believe it or not." Rin said.

"You guys sure do get your asses kicked a lot." I said pointing out.

"And you don't get your asses kicked in the singularities? You're telling me that everything goes smooth sailing and no problems happen at all?" Rin exclaimed angrily at me as she slammed her hand down on the table causing the few people at the cafe to turn our direction.

"N-No. We usually get our asses kicked a lot too…" I murmured as I rubbed the back of my head.

"That's what I thought, if you didn't I would have to take back all the worries or concerns I had for you people." Rin said. "Well anyway, Shirou managed to project Archer's twin blades to try and put up a fight, he did little to slow him down however, but at the same time he did give Saber enough time to recover and try to take out Caster. After this Caster offered us to join forces, but we refused her outright because she wanted a human sacrifice to summon the grail. After we refused her, she retreated with her Master. That was only a short lived retreat, because she had went to our house and kidnapped a close friend of ours who while not a mage, had the magical circuits needed to sacrifice her for the grail." Rin said. "She also managed to use her Noble phantasm on Saber, rule breaker, which sealed Saber's Noble phantasm Excalibur." Rin said.

"A Noble phantasm that can seal other Noble Phantasm? That does sound a bit useful." I said.

"Quite useful, I'm sure you can figure out that it put us in a pickle." Rin said. "I suppose there's no point in hiding it, but the person in question that was kidnapped was my Sister Sakura." Rin said and my face did fill with worry as I was concerned what would happen to Rin's Sister. "Since Mage families can only have one successor, my sister Sakura was given to a rival mage family who had been unable to produce a proper mage heir. That family in question was Shinji's family." Rin said and I couldn't help but ruffle my eyebrows a little. "You can now understand why I didn't feel bad about Shinji dying, on top of him already being a bad person. You can also understand how I would be desperate to want to get my sister back and return her to safety; even though we were separated I still truly loved her." Rin said.

"Of course, I have a sister myself and while she isn't who she used to be, I still love her as my sister." I said and Rin nodded her head in understanding.

"Shirou and Saber of course agreed to help me get Sakura back since Sakura was also their close friend. So the three of us rushed to the Temple where we ended up finding a trail that led us to a large cavern in the side of a mountain where Caster had built a massive city filled with golems, and where she was doing the ritual to bring forth the grail." Rin explained.

"That sounds like the Cavern where we found the Greater Grail and Alter Saber! It wasn't far from the temple and was off the beaten path in the woods." I exclaimed.

"It was probably the same place then, it has powerful magical ley lines there." Rin said. "So after we fought through all those golems we reached Caster and Kuzuki, it was there where we fought them. Shirou faced against Kuzuki alongside of Saber while I had to end up fighting my sister to save her, while I managed to save Sakura, Caster was still a threat and I had to fight her. You'll be surprised to hear that I did manage to get the upper hand on her, but it was short lived as Saber and Shirou had been completely beat down by Kuzuki. Kuzuki's intervention saved Caster and I thought that she was about to kill all three of us, but….."

"But it was then when Archer appeared out of nowhere and impaled Caster and her Master with hundred of swords." Rin said and my eyes widened a little bit in surprise.

"Excuse me? Archer? You told me Archer was dead." I exclaimed.

"I thought he was dead too, but Archer survived his fight with Berserker and had been living on through independent action that every Archer class possesses." Rin explained. "At first I had been overjoyed to see Archer still alive, but that joy disappeared rather quickly as Archer tried to kill a weakened Shirou who was barely saved by Saber. I angrily told Archer to knock it off, but he didn't care since I was no longer his Master and trapped me in a cage of swords." Rin went on. "It was then and there that we learned that it was his goal of killing Shirou Emiya, for Archer was himself a Future version of Shirou Emiya. The Shirou Emiya who had lived to fulfill his dream of becoming a Hero of Justice, but his dream didn't quite go as well as expected so he wished to end Shirou in this timeline in the slight hope that he would disappear off the throne of heroes." Rin said as her eyes saddened once more. "Saber tried to fight back against Archer, but she was weakened from the previous fight. However she was still strong enough to beat back Archer a little bit, as he didn't have me as a Master anymore, but ultimately he used his Noble Phantasm Unlimited Blade Works which encased us in reality marble of a land filled with swords where he was able to compete with Saber." Rin explained and I remember that massive marble that had encased Caster and Archer in the first singularity, so that's what that had been. "He spawned hundreds of swords he was going to throw at us which would have surely killed Shirou and I since Saber couldn't defend us and herself at the same time, but instead of us all dying Shirou charged forward and met his blades head on with copied versions of his own." Rin explained and I shook my head.

"This Shirou fellow sure does some stupid stuff." I said.

"Well his stupid idea was enough to cause Archer to end his Noble Phantasm, but in the heat of the moment he ended up kidnapping me. He knocked me out and I don't know what happened during that time and when I woke up, but Shirou told me that he was using me as leverage and Shirou and him agreed to fight one another in the ruins of the Ezienbern castle which after Archer made his retreat from the crumbling cave, Saber and Shirou took Sakura back home to safety." Rin explained.

"When I came too I woke up inside a storage room of the castle after I had a dream of how Archer's life ended, I found Archer sitting in the corner of the room and ended up yelling at him to no avail. Eventually he left to go fight Shirou where the two of them had a battle more of ideals than of actual blades, but Shirou was able to beat Archer in the fight miraculously with Saber observing from afar." Rin said and I was little surprised to hear a human beat a servant, but then again that Teacher fellow had beaten Saber pretty hard. "I was told from Saber that Shirou was able to overwhelm Archer's ideals with his own passion and drive, not because he wanted to be a Hero of Justice anymore, but because he had come to value himself above others and there was a happiness he was now seeking and wouldn't let Archer take that away from him. I don't know if I need to tell you what that is, but I imagine you can figure it out yourself." Rin said. "That and I had heard from Arturia that Archer had been prepared to stab Shirou in the end, but stopped short. So really I imagine Archer could have won, but Shirou beat his will to fight." Rin explained.

"That sounds like whole cluster fuck of fighting your future yourself." I grumbled as I crossed my arms.

"If you want to know about what happened in that fight you'd have to ask Arturia." Rin said. "Anyway while those two were fighting Lancer had actually come to assist me and cut me free, telling me he was on orders from his Master. Lancer let me go and I ran off to find Archer and Shirou standing in the Main hall with Shirou's swords driven through Archer. Now you'd think we were finally close to ending this war, but surprise! Another Archer appeared and impaled Archer with hundreds of swords. Archer threw Shirou out of the way and saved him as his last action." Rin said and my eyes widened a little.

"Another Archer! I guess there was an Archer party and he showed up late!" I said jokingly.

"Do you have to constantly interject with your commentary and jokes?" Rin inquired.

"I like to think in another life I was a comedian." I replied with an amused grin, however Rin did not look at all amused as she ruffled her eyebrows at me.

"ANYWAY, this archer killed my archer and that kind of pissed me off. Even though Archer had wanted to kill Shirou, I still felt bad for him and Archer did have a kind and gentle side to him at times." Rin said. "It turns out that this golden haired Archer had history with Saber, because they had fought each other in the previous grail war. Goldie then explained to us how the Holy Grail was actually a weapon and we were all fools, which was a pretty big shocker. Goldie was going to resume his fight with Saber and probably would have killed us all though if it hadn't been for the castle coming down from the fire Lancer had lit, so Lancer ending up saving my life twice I guess." Rin said. "And with that we retreated back to Shirou's place and discussed what had happened. Saber told us about her encounter with that Archer from the previous war and their interaction." Rin explained.

"Now I know I haven't told you all the boring details about our conversations, because then we'd be here all day, but I'm pretty sure you can figure out for yourself that Saber and Shirou were lovey dovey for each other, and Shirou had the great idea of going out on a date with Saber near the end of the war to try and win Saber's heart!" Rin exclaimed clapping her hands together.

"What a perfect time for a date!" I too exclaimed.

"Yes of course, although I did encourage them to have this date because I wanted it to happen and I liked them both. So I guess I'm just as guilty as they are." Rin said and I furrowed my eyebrows a little because I found it impossible for Rin to want that. "I was not on this date, but I did find Shirou in his room after the date and discovered they had an argument. When I told Shirou, that Saber had not come back he ran out to find her. Now they ended up making up and you'd expect things would have gone smooth sailing, but nope! Goldie showed up as they were coming home and completely demolished them. This is because Goldie had this obsession with wanting to marry Saber." Rin exclaimed with a raised finger. "Now it turns out that Goldie is the Epic Hero Gilgamesh, which he's not really that epic since he's really a complete douchebag and arrogant bastard. Now Gilgamesh literally has every single sword and weapon ever made in history and he can use them as noble phantasms, so he even has the original Excalibur. So seeing that Gilgamesh is completely overpowered you'd think Saber and Shirou would have been killed, but it was all thanks to Shirou that they managed to hold off his attack with the use of Avalon which had been implanted in Shirou by his Father who had saved him in the Fourth Holy Grail War, and dun dun! Shirou's Father was Saber's master in the Fourth Holy Grail War! So because Shirou had Avalon inside him that was why he was able to summon Saber and explained how he was self healing." Rin explained.

"What a coincidence. Now they're married! It's almost like Fate brought them together!" I said cheekily.

"We're getting ahead of the story; you wanted to hear how our grail war played out so first so hush!" Rin said and I put my hands up in mock surrender and shut my mouth. "So they came back completely wasted, but they were able to heal themselves thanks to Avalon. Now I don't want to say too much, but I'm pretty sure they ended up doing some stuff in Shirou's bedroom based off of the noises I heard coming from their bedroom. So it was safe say that Saber had ended up falling for Shirou. Now there's a little bit more than that and I'll try to explain it as quickly as possible, but basically since Arturia is King Arthur she wanted to redo the selection of the King so Camelot would not come to ruin and she felt responsible. Shirou ended up falling in love with Saber and wanted her to forget and the past and accept what happened and be with him. Now I'm pretty sure Shirou eventually wore her iron will down throughout the war, but I think that fight with Archer and Shirou helped, alongside of what Shirou did protecting Saber against Gilgamesh." Rin said. "Now that's out of the way and you know how lovey dovey they are, Saber explained to Shirou all about the Fourth Holy Grail War and his Dad, so Shirou went out the next day to ask Kotomine questions about the Fourth Holy Grail War and it was there that he ran into Lancer again and ended up being stabbed, again, through the chest." Rin explained and I let out a surprised gasp, pretending to be surprised that Shirou had been stabbed again. "Now while this had all been happening Illya's health had been getting worse as the War progressed due to her status as the vessel of the Grail, so I wanted to talk with Shirou about it and I couldn't find him so I asked Saber. Who I found looking up into the sky like a love-struck maiden." Rin said as she let out a snicker and I couldn't help but chuckle too. "I asked Saber where he was and she didn't know either, so after we put our heads together we concluded he was at the church and she set out to find him at the Church, it was there where she found Shirou, Lancer, and Kirei finally revealed himself and his ambitions to use the Grail to destroy all of humanity, since Gil had explained to us earlier the true intention of the Grail." Rin said and I nodded my head. "So she confronted Lancer and Gil, who were both Kirei's Servants, but apparently Gilgamesh didn't sit so well with Lancer and those two ended up fighting allowing Arturia and Shirou to get away where they healed one another. Lancer ended up being killed by Gilgamesh after they had fought for several hours I'm told so the curse that had been inflicted on Shirou disappeared." Rin explained. "Now while that was happening, there was a ring on the doorbell and thinking it was Shirou and Saber rushed to the door, only to end up finding Kotomine. I was still in no shape to fight after the fight with Caster and Archer taking me hostage, so Kotomine easily beat me and explained to me his intention and also informed me that he was the one who had killed my Father in the last grail war. This of course infuriated me, but there was little I could do about it. Kotomine just left me in my poor shape while he went to go retrieve Illya, who he needed to summon the Grail." Rin said as she gritted her teeth before calming down after a moment. "Eventually Shirou and Arturia came back and found me in that sorry shape and cleaned me up, I told them that they needed to forget about me and go kill Kotomine and Gilgamesh and I gave Shirou the dagger that Kotomine had used to kill my dad and told him to kill Kotomine with the magical energy I had stored inside of it, a bit of an ironic way for Kotomine to be killed on my part I think." Rin said with a chuckle. "I told them that they better defeat Kotomine and Gil even if it killed them, but if I woke up and found that they both weren't sitting across the table from me I would have killed them again." Rin said and I raised my hand up to my mouth as I chuckled.

"That sounds like something you would say Rin." I said and Rin let out a grumble.

"Yes I suppose it does." Rin said.

"So Shirou transferred Avalon back to Saber so that she could fight Gilgamesh, which also meant Shirou was in far more danger. However it was something that had to be done I believe." Rin said with a nod of her head. "Shirou and Saber rushed to the Temple where Kotomine and Gil had cleared everyone out earlier to make preparations to summon the grail, but there were some complications along the way. Assassin was still alive so Saber had to fight off against him before heading to face Gil, Saber told me that they had an honorable fight and it ended of course in Saber's victory." Rin said. "Now then, Shirou had run off ahead of them and he actually ended up confronting Gilgamesh and the two of them fought for a brief time with Shirou somehow managing to keep Gil at bay with his own projection magic, but without Avalon or a large store of mana there was little he could actually do." Rin explained. "It was not until Saber arrived to finally fight Gil herself, that Gil let Shirou run off to face Kirei." Rin said. "Shirou found Kirei and confronted him where he ended up being engulfed in the dark curse that Kirei had inflicted on Shirou's father in the past, but Shirou managed to prevail thanks to his strong conviction and connection to Arturia and while it may sound a bit cheesy, the two of them were able to overcome Kirei and Gilgamesh because they had conquered themselves and a strong love had formed amongst them, so strong that Avalon was able to power Saber up enough to beat Gil and help Shirou escape from Kirei's curse and stab him through the chest." Rin said and with that she took a deep breath. "And with that they were both defeated and Shirou saved Illya and Saber used Excalibur to destroy the Holy Grail." Rin said and let out a deep sigh of relief as I checked my watch and saw that Rin's explanation had took well over an hour.

"I see, so I guess it is I who should be thanking you, Arturia, and Shirou for saving the world." I said.

"No thanks are necessary, I didn't do much anyway." Rin said as she rubbed her hands shyly. "It was all Saber and Shirou's doing, I just slept in the house during the last decisive battle." Rin said.

"Well I can hardly blame you; you were all tuckered out after all." I replied jokingly.

"Haha very funny." Rin said. "Now then, you wanted to know how Saber still exists in this world." Rin said and I nodded my head. "Well I can only tell you what Saber told me and I believe Saber to be telling the truth because I mean she's obviously here." Rin added.

"Well obviously." I said.

"Now then. Arturia no longer wished to seek the Holy Grail so she was removed from the Throne of Heroes and thus her contract with the world has ended." Rin started off. "Now technically speaking Saber was and still is a living being. She had told me that she couldn't go into spirit form because of Shirou's inexperience, but in reality she can not do so because she was still alive. Since she always came to a Grail War before she died, she was still considered a living being and she explained to me that she was almost like a Counter Guardian in a way, much like Archer had been." Rin explained. That almost sounded like Scathach's existence actually, however as far as I was aware Scathach did not have a wish. "Now then, since she no longer wants the grail her contract with the World had ended, but Saber still did have a wish!" Rin said as she raised a finger. "Now as Arturia told me the World felt sorry for her and wanted to thank her for preventing the destruction of mankind so it offered her one wish only, one wish that the World would grant her. And Saber's one wish was to be with Shirou and the world granted her that one wish." Rin said.

"I see, so the World basically felt sorry for all the shit that it put Arturia through and wanted to say sorry." I said.

"In a way I guess you could say that. I don't really know if a world can feel sorry, but Arturia had to go through a lot of stuff in her life that's for sure. Two Grail Wars, fighting for a cup that she thought could grant her wish but was really just a weapon, on top of her original life as a King. Now usually unexplainable things like that would infuriate me, because I don't like not knowing things." Rin said and I chuckled. "However for this one such occasion I make the exception, because I'm really just glad that Arturia is with us." Rin said.

"Well that makes sense, I wouldn't really question if my best friend was allowed to live again and be with me. I'd just be happy." I said as I sat up straight in my seat. "Well Rin I'd like to thank you for telling me how your Grail War went about and thank you for revealing to me the secret of how Arturia was allowed to stay in this world." I said with a nod of my head.

"No problem, it's the least I can do after what you told me." Rin said as she raised her glass and took a sip of water…

"Now don't take this the wrong way Rin, but do you think perhaps Arturia choosing to stay in this world and be with Shirou was itself a cause of the mess we're in." I said with shrugged shoulders and Rin narrowed her eyes.

"No there's no way Arturia's decision could be what caused our timeline to split off onto a timeline that would lead to the destruction of the world. And if it was, would you not have been sent back to 2004 to stop her from doing so, not fighting an Alter version of herself?" Rin inquired. "Of course you would! So don't be stupid." Rin exclaimed.

"Alright, Alright! That makes sense, it was just a thought!" I said with raised hands up in surrender.

"Besides I'd rather not lose the past twenty years of my life even if that was the case." Rin said.

"Well which would you prefer? Losing twenty years of your life? Or your entire life?" I asked and Rin gaze seemed to burn into the back of my skull.

"I couldn't possibly answer that, nor do I think there is any point in answering hypothetical questions that have no bearing on reality." Rin replied angrily.

"Alright Rin I get the point. I'm sorry I brought it up!" I exclaimed shrinking back into my chair. "I don't want you to lose your best friend nor do I want two children to lose their mother or a husband lose his wife." I said. "I wouldn't want to wish such a thing on anyone! It was merely a thought I had." I added.

Rin's eyes softened a little bit and she looked over her shoulder and reached down to grab something out from a bag by her side. A moment later a brown journal and several folders were thrown down into the middle of the table.

"You don't need to have such thoughts, as you should know I've already discovered who was behind the bombing at Chaldea." Rin said as she took one of the folders and flipped it open. "And the person, who was behind the bombing at Chaldea that claimed all of those lives, must be the person who is responsible for these irregularities in time or singularities as they are called. I mean they have to be." Rin said. "That is after all why we came to meet in the first place." Rin added.

"It's not like I forgot, we just got side tracked, that's all." I said.

"For someone who said he couldn't think about anything except for what I had to tell him, you got easily sidetracked." Rin said.

"Well technically you were telling me something. Just not originally what we came to meet for." I pointed out. "Besides I think it was okay to get sidetracked a little bit, since all my mind was thinking about was this moment. So it was good to let my mind think about something else just for a little bit." I added.

"Perhaps you're right." Rin said. "Now then shall we proceed with what I have to tell you?" Rin inquired. I proceeded to sit up straight in my seat and placed my arms on the table as I leaned forward.

"Well it's as you say, that's why we're here." I replied.

"Very well then. As you can see while you've been away fighting in Singularities I've been investigating and gathering as much evidence as I possibly could…. and I think that I finally gathered enough evidence to all point to this one person as being responsible." Rin said. "I've gathered personal journals, official documents, and reports." Rin added as she shuffled through the folders and they all had Chaldea Security Organization seals on them.

"May I ask where you got such sensitive material?" I inquired.

"Almost all of the documents and papers here before you are from the personal office of Professor Lev Lynor." Rin said and I raised an eyebrow.

"You couldn't possibly be suggesting that Professor Lev is behind everything? He was killed in the bombings so that's impossible!" I exclaimed. "Unless he wanted to die so he wouldn't have to face the consequences, but still! What possible reasoning could he have for such a thing?" I exclaimed.

"No, No. I'm not suggesting Professor Lev. Quite the contrary, Professor Lev himself was trying to stop this from happening." Rin said.

"If not Lev, then who?" I asked as I now sat on the edge of my seat…

"General Amara Iselma of Chaldea Security Organization." Rin said as she threw an open folder towards me that had a picture of a very beautiful looking woman with mid back length blonde hair and diamond blue eyes wearing a Chaldea Security Uniform buttoned up all the way.

"Amara?!" I exclaimed taken aback with wide looking eyes as I sank back in my seat, my eyes filled with disbelief. "No way! There's no way that Amara Iselma be could behind this, she is extremely loyal to the Director and would never possibly go against her. She can be a bit strict and cruel at times, but she's too loyal of a person to possibly betray the Director." I stated while Rin only narrowed her eyes at me.

"The facts are right in front of you. Everything has been documented and written down by Professor Lev..." Rin stated. "I found records that Lev had in his office had that go back as far as six years ago showing that Amara has been playing the long game and has been going behind the Director's back for a long time." Rin said and I ran my hand through my hair as I picked up the folder and began to read through its contents. Flipping over the first page past a personal bio Lev had constructed on Amara, was a mission report that involved the collecting of an artifact, what it was, was blacked out. At the bottom of the Mission reports that involved acquiring said artifacts was the Director's name, and as flipped the pages over I found more and more mission reports of missions that I had never heard of and they were all signed by the Director. Most of these missions involved collecting artifacts, which details were blacked out. But then there were other missions that involved exchanging such artifacts for sums of money that ranged from the hundreds of millions to a billion dollars, all of those missions were signed off by Amara Iselma. None of it really made any sense to me, because while Chaldea was tasked with retrieving dangerous artifacts, that was left to Anderson's forces which included me. While these looked like special ops groups doing these missions, some of these people were unsanctioned personal, meaning they didn't work at Chaldea.

"Okay so clearly Amara is doing missions behind Chaldea's back, but what does that have to do with blowing up Chaldea and destroying humanity?" I asked as I closed the folder and placed it back down on the table.

"Well you saw that all the operations involved selling artifacts were only sanctioned by the General, yes?" Rin asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"Well obviously you need money to do something shady, like stealing artifacts from your own Organization?" Rin said as she handed me a folder and I opened it to find letters written in a female's hand writing that were addressed to people who I had never heard of. As I read the letter it talked about how Amara wanted the said person to steal an artifact from a Chaldea warehouse. When I flipped the page over I found more letters and eventually I found papers that listed amount transfers and bank accounts.

"As you can see on that page, Amara was wiring substantial amounts of money to people outside of Chaldea to steal Artifacts from Chaldea for her, because obviously she wouldn't want it to be tracked back to her." Rin said as she reached forward and pointed flipped over the page to reveal drop off locations and other details. As I read through the papers and documents I stopped as I recognized the details of one of these warehouses.

"What is it? Do you recognize something?" Rin inquired.

"Yes I do, in fact I'm starting to remember some of this now…. It was a few years ago that Chaldea started to notice we were missing artifacts from our facilities and Chaldea dispatched people from my department to investigate these incidents, stop them, and get the artifacts back. However it was four years ago that artifacts quit disappearing, but it was only after we put stopped several attempts and recovered multiple of the artifacts." I said as I closed the folder and put it back down on the table.

"Would you care to tell me let me in what happened?" Rin inquired.

"Perhaps at another time Rin, it would be quite a long story and we've already had one long story for this afternoon." I said. "Anyway that still does not explain why Amara would want to blow up Chaldea and destroy humanity." I added.

"You said some of the artifacts were recovered, not all of them?" Rin inquired.

"No there was one artifact that we never recovered. I don't know what it was, but I know it was super important to higher ups." I replied.

"Well you never recovered it, because that's the artifact that Amara was after all along. In Lev's journal he recorded Amara's activities along with his own personal thoughts." Rin said as she patted the book. "Amara was only ever after one artifact Christopher, every single other one was just a diversion. Because Christopher, Amara's real objective all along was to steal the one and only Holy Grail in Chaldea's possession…."

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed as I leaped up out of my seat and slammed my hands down on the table. "You're telling me that Chaldea Security Organization had a Holy Grail in our possession?! BUT HOW?" I exclaimed.

"SSSHHHH! Keep your voice down idiot!" Rin hushed me as she rose her finger up to her mouth. I looked around to see some people staring in my direction. I lowered myself back down in my seat and recomposed myself to the best of my abilities.

"How did we have a Holy Grail in our possession…?" I asked in a low skeptical voice.

"I don't quite know the details. I couldn't find any information on why, but there are several mentions to a Holy Grail throughout Lev's journal, Lev describes how Chaldea had been in possession of one Holy Grail that allowed it to complete several of their projects." Rin replied as she interlocked her fingers. "My guess is that you would have to ask the Director how and why they were in possession of a Holy Grail." Rin added.

"I can't believe we once had a Holy Grail, did Lev say where it is now?" I asked and Rin shook her head.

"No it would appear the Lev had discovered that Amara had stolen a Holy Grail, but had been spending the past months trying to find out where Amara was hiding it." Rin said. "He also writes how he confronted Amara on her treachery and deceit, demanding that she turn over the Holy Grails location." Rin went on. "However it would appear as if that didn't go over well with Amara threatening to kill Lev if he ever told the Director." Rin added before she pulled out a piece of paper and placed it in front of me. "Lev had quietly been observing her after that point, but it was a few weeks before the first singularity that Lev confronted her again telling her to turn over the Holy Grail and that he wouldn't tell the Director if she returned it." Rin went on. "I'm sure you can imagine that didn't go over well, because listed here are several materials Amara purchased that are used to make high explosives." Rin said as she tapped the paper in front of me. I looked it over and she was right, every single one of these materials listed is what one would use to essentially make a bomb. "That took some personal connections on my part to recover that, it came straight from her office. In Lev's last journal entry he described how he was going to tell the Director about what Amara had done, however as we know now that never happened because Lev was killed. I'm willing to bet that Amara set off those explosives to kill Lev along with anyone else who might pose a threat to her." Rin stated.

"Okay so I'm convinced now that Amara is behind all of this and you have the evidence to back it all up. However, that still does not explain why she would want to destroy humanity." I asked.

"That's part I couldn't figure out, I combed through Lev's Journal over and over and looked through everything he had gathered, but if there was a reason, Lev must have never been able to find out why." Rin said with a sigh as she clasped her face with her hands.

"Well what do you know about Amara Iselma?" I asked and Rin opened her eyes to look at me with a concerned look.

"Why are you asking me?" Rin objected. "You work with her, so shouldn't you know!" Rin added.

"Yeah I work with her, but I've only talked with her on a few occasions." I replied. "She has a reputation of being extremely strict in the way she treats men under her, but I don't personally blame her for that. And that's because she has to keep all the average and semi mages in line under her command, because she commands our general forces which are made out of mages who don't possess enough talent to qualify for any of our special divisions. So she's like a tough drill Sergeant in that regard." I explained.

"Well that's the outcome of rushed training. One does not simply rush through the art of magecraft." Rin said.

"Okay whatever Rin, Anyway the she's a very skilled mage I know that much and I also know that nobody ever wants to get on her bad side. However the few times I've talked to her when she's off the clock she seems rather mellow and friendly. She's popular with men AND women at Chaldea…." I said as I furrowed my eyebrows a little. "But other than that I don't know much about her, I've never asked about her personal life and she has never seemed interested in talking about herself or her family." I said and Rin ruffled her eyebrows at me in return.

"Just tell me what you do know." Rin replied.

"Alright fine." I said raising up a hand. "What I do know is that Amara the daughter to the head of the Iselma Mage family, Rosalind Iselma a very prestigious family at the Clock tower." I said. "From what I understand she was the heir to the family, but lost her title because she is somewhat of the black duck of her family." I said as I scratched my cheek.

"Do you know why that is?" Rin asked and I shook my head. "It's because the Iselma family is a well known alchemy family that has pursued the creation of, the most beautiful person, for generations as their path to the Root." Rin went on. "So one who would muddy herself by taking on a combat or fighting role would not be worthy of the head of such a family." Rin explained.

"How would creating the most beautiful person help them reach the Root?" I asked.

"Well this is what they believe and I quote "Beauty is a sympathetic curse: as we appreciate art, the more it purifies our souls and spirits; the true nature of the feeling we express with the term 'beauty'. So if we were to witness something of extreme beauty, then we would be able to push our soul up into a higher plane of being all at once."" Rin said. "That is how they have explained it and I'm not one to judge, they are quite a prestigious family who are well known alchemist so they must be doing something right." Rin said and I was only left there scratching my head.

"Well I guess for a Family that puts emphasis on beauty, it would make sense that they would see fighting as something that is not beautiful." I said. "That still doesn't really explain why she would want to destroy humanity?" I pressed Rin.

"Well I have a few theories, but I think the only way you're going to find out is by asking her yourself." Rin replied.

"Would you care to offer up some of your theories?" I inquired.

"Well I figure it could be one of two things." Rin said and raised her finger. "Number one: This is the most childish option, but perhaps she is doing so to get back at her family for taking away her position as the heir. However as I said it would be childish to destroy humanity just because you were kicked from the line of succession" Rin said and raised a second finger. "Number two: She believes that the only possible way for one to reach the root is for humanity to come to an end, I think this option is more likely because there are some mages in the past who have had this same line of thinking." Rin said before she lowered her hand. I sat there for a moment silently thinking as I scratched my head.

"Well they all sound kind of far fetched, but I guess I really won't know until we question her." I said as I sunk into my chair.

"So have you figured out what you're going to do?" Rin asked.

"Not a fucking clue. I still need to go over and read everything you've given me before I try to present it to the Director and even then it will still be extremely hard to try convince the Director." I said.

"Well how much does the Director trust you? Or should I say, how much of the Directors ear do you have?" Rin asked.

"There are only two people at the top that have the full trust and faith of the Director, the first one is Professor Lev and the second one is Amara Iselma. From what I gathered Lev was the one the Director trusted and looked up to the most. However Professor Lev is no longer with us so that means Amara has the Director's ear all to herself." I said as I shut the folder in front of me.

"Well let me suggest to you this then, every single thing here is from Professor Lev himself. Use that to your advantage, if Lev is the person that the Director trusted the most, and then showing her this evidence and journal from Lev should be able to get the Director to believe you." Rin said. "I also suggest you share this information with people who hold High level positions at Chaldea and convince them with the evidence you have. With enough of Chaldea's higher ups backing you up, that might give you some weight to back you up when you make your case." Rin said and I scratched my cheek.

"I know some of the higher ups, but not a lot of them." I replied. "But I think you're right, if I show them this maybe we can uncover some more evidence to show the Director. Or perhaps you are right; Levs word might be enough to convince the Director." I said as I sat up and began to collect the documents and Lev's personal journal into one pile, before I put them into a briefcase I lifted up a briefcase I had brought with me and put the documents inside before closing it shut. As I looked up to face Rin she had a small smile on her face as she looked at me.

"I hope that I've been able to help you Christopher, hopefully this will be enough to bring Amara to justice for the people she's murdered and possibly even put a stop to the Singularities themselves." Rin said.

"That would be nice, wouldn't it? Then I could go back to my boring office job instead of getting stabbed and shot at." I said and Rin let out an amused chuckle. "But really thank you Rin for everything, this means a great lot to me. I know that it must have not been easy and that doing this you even put your life in danger. Amara is not a person that you want to trifle with and the Iselma family is very powerful as you said." I added.

"Well the Iselma family may be powerful and Amara herself may be skilled, but you're talking to Rin Tohsaka, the head of the Tohsaka family." Rin said as she jerked her thumb back at herself with a confident smile.

"Of course, nobody stands a chance against Rin Tohsaka." I said with a chuckle.

"Are you laughing at me?" Rin exclaimed.

"No of course not!" I said and continued to chuckle much to Rin's dismay…

"Ahem, but really Rin. I want to thank you again Rin for all of your help." I said and Rin nodded her head.

"You're Welcome, but it was my pleasure." Rin said placing her hand on her chest and bowing her head. "It was fun to do something new and dangerous, and I'm glad to be helping stop the destruction of humanity. I mean I am part of humanity after all." Rin said.

"Are you sure about that Rin?" I said with an amused grin on my face. This caused Rin's eyebrow to twitch furiously as she stepped on my foot once more and I let out a gasp.

"Owe Owe Owe! I'm sorry Rin!" I said as I flinched. Eventually the pressure on my foot was removed as Rin retracted her foot back to the other side. "To show my thanks I'll pay for Dinner." I added which caused a satisfied grin to appear on Rin's face.

"Thank you that's very kind of you Christopher." Rin said amused.

"No problem Rin." I replied. With that we waited for the waiter to come by and I handed him my debit card and the signed receipts. As we sat there waiting for the waiter to return snowflakes began to flutter down to Earth and Rin and I looked upwards into the sky to see dark clouds in the sky and snow falling down.

"It's lucky that our conversation has all but finished up, for the snow has arrived." Rin said and paused for a moment. "You certainly get more snow here in America than we get in Japan." Rin stated.

"That we do." I replied.

It was only a few more minutes before the waiter returned and I took my debit card and tucked it into my wallet, which I slid back into my jacket. The snow wasn't letting up as it continued to fall. I pushed my chair back and stood up from my seat before pushing it back in and taking my coat. Rin was doing the same on the other side and when the both of us had our coats on we stood across from one another.

"Thank you once again Rin for everything. I truly appreciate it and I will see to it that Amara receives justice for the people she killed and hopefully with her arrest we will also see an end to the Singularities." I said. "So once again Thank you Rin and I wish you safe travels on your way home to Japan." I said as I extended my hand to her, Rin grasped my hand and we shook.

"You too Christopher, drive safely home and if you need me for anything, just give me a call and I'll do my best to help you in anyway I can." Rin said with a smile and we released our grip on each others hands and returned them to our sides.

"I will. Goodbye Rin." I said as I reached down and picked up my briefcase. With that, Rin gave me a slight bow and we parted ways.

"Goodbye Christopher and Good luck."

Thirty Minutes Later

The snow was beginning to come down harder as I made my way back towards my car. I had decided to cut through the city this time instead of following the river back to the parking garage this time. When I had checked my phone, it had told me that cutting through the city would be faster than following the long way back to the garage. However I don't think that was true at all, because the sheer amount of people on the sidewalks told a different story. I looked around the city to see the city street crowded with people going up and down the sidewalks and the roads busy with traffic as everyone was probably rushing to go home now as it was getting dark outside. As I walked down the streets I looked up and saw that Christmas wreaths hung from the Light poles and every where I looked the stores were brimming with lights. Christmas was only a week away and I still hadn't gotten anything for Mashu, Scathach, or Jeanne. I wondered if I should consider stopping in any of the stores to look for Christmas gifts or… I shook my head. "What the hell are you thinking about Christmas for? Rin just told you who was behind that bombing almost three years ago? More important how and the hell am I going to explain to the Director that one of her most senior officers was the one behind the bombings that killed all of those people and possibly the singularities themselves. This was still a lot of information to take in and I needed to go over everything when I got home, I still wasn't sure what I was going to do. Maybe I should confide in Scathach…."

Suddenly I stopped in my tracks as I felt myself pushed back and then it was followed by a sharp pain in my chest. A loud shot echoed in my ears soon afterwards, I slowly brought my free hand up to my chest where I felt an incredible burning sensation, I placed my hand where it hurt and my glove immediately became wet with something sticky pouring all over it. I looked down and lifted my hand from my chest to see red liquid died my black gloves crimson, this was followed by drops of red liquid now dripping down to hit the white snow beneath my feet painting it crimson. My vision had already begun to blur at this point and everything was now a haze as I looked at my feet. It only took a brief second before I felt all feelings in my legs give out...

Then everything went black...

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	11. Chapter Eleven Hunted

**Chapter Eleven**

**Hunted**

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Screaming echoed in my ears as my eyes slowly blinked open and I returned to reality. As my vision returned to me the scene of frantic people running in every direction was laid before me. "...Not dead yet I suppose…." I thought to myself with a pain filled chuckle, and just as I had that thought a sharp pain swept through my body as someone stepped on me in their frantic attempt to get away and I winced as the pain in my right shoulder was still very much there. That shot had come out of nowhere and since they weren't standing over me to finish the job, which means it had to have come from far away. I needed to get out of the open and somewhere safe. I attempted to push myself up off the ground with my right arm, but my attempt was short lived as l fell back down to the ground and another pain swept through my chest from where I had been shot. My strength was gone and I was far too weak to even lift myself up off the ground. I lifted my face up from the pavement and examined my surroundings. All around me were people fleeing, but through the feet's of the fleeing people I could see cars off to my right and to my left I saw an alleyway. I had to get out of the opening. I had too. I needed to get into that alleyway, even if it meant crawling my way over there. Snow kicked up into my face from fleeing civilians and I another pain went through me, this time through my right arm as I was once stepped on again. "That's assuming I don't get trampled to death, but all the people fleeing should provide good cover for me to slip into the alleyway." I thought to myself. I tried to lift my left arm and pull myself forward, but nothing happened and I looked over my shoulder to see left arm standing still by my side, I couldn't even move my fingers as my whole left arm felt completely numb. "God damn it, my nerves running down my left arm must be in complete shock." I thought to myself and winced. No matter, I'll crawl into the alleyway with just my right arm if I have too. I refuse to die right now, especially on some city sidewalk to a random shooter, to hell with that. I lifted my right arm up and reached forward, pulling myself forward with the strength in my right arm and what little strength I had left in my legs. With every inch I took, my body throbbed with immense pain and it didn't help that I would get kicked in the sides as people scurried over me in their mad dash to get out of here. Of course nobody bothered to stop and help the dying man out on the ground, and instead opted to let him drag his dying corpse off of the sidewalk and into the alleyway. To top it all off there was also a wet feeling that was running across my chest and legs as I inched forward, and it wasn't just the snow. I'm pretty positive I was still losing a substantial amount of blood and I'd be lucky if I even made it into the alleyway before I died of blood loss. However there wasn't much I could do until I was in safety, out of the sight of the gunmen. All I could do was crawl, so crawl I did. Eventually my long and painful crawl lead me to the side of a dumpster where I reached up with my one functioning hand and grasped the handles of the dumpster. Pulling myself up I eventually propped myself up against the wall, as my back touched the brick wall a cold shiver shot up my spine and through the rest of my back, which only amplified the pain I was feeling in my shoulder. I winced in pain as I further sat myself up right until I was comfortable, or as comfortable as one could be. I looked around the dark alleyway where I might possibly be spending my final moments, and well….

"Not exactly the place I want to be spending my final moments..." I said out loud. I let out all of the air that I had been holding in this entire time and took my first deep breath in a while of the cold air. I winced as the chilly air burned inside of my lungs and it was a few moments before it became bearable to breathe again. I returned my focus towards the sidewalk to see that the number of people passing by as they flee from where the gun shots had come from had whittled down. As my eyes shifted downwards, they glazed over the snow where I saw the long blood trail that painted the winter snow crimson, the crimson trail lead from the sidewalk up to where I was sitting against the wall. My hand went up to my chest where I placed it over the spot where I had been shot and as I rested my hand where I felt the burning sensation in my chest I felt my heart pounding against my chest furiously as it tried to pump blood. However all that blood it was trying to pump was spewing out over my hand as I felt my wet blood coat my gloves. I lowered my hand from my chest and looked down to see my gloves had been glazed with my blood and it dripped from my fingers. I rubbed my fingers together to try and get the blood off, but that usually worked better when it was dried blood and not fresh. I laid my head back against the cold brick wall and looked up into the dark sky to see the snow fluttering down towards me. When I was a child that the sight of blood use to make me sick to my stomach, even remembering that my sister would tease me about it. However now it no longer made me sick and that was because I had grown accustomed to the sight of blood, even the blood of loved ones….

"DAMN IT!" I exclaimed and immediately upon uttering those words I was hit by a coughing fit and I rose my hand up to my mouth. After a brief coughing fit, I lowered my trembling hand down from my mouth and saw more blood had caked my hand. I wiped my glove against my pants and rested my head back against the wall with my hand resting against my chest. "... Damn it. Rin warned me that I could have eyes watching me and I guess she was right. Our Good General turned Traitor must have had someone watching me and they now know that I know what Lev knew. So now that Amara knows that I know, that means I needed to be silenced" I murmured to myself and just then I winced at a sudden pain that shot through my chest again. "I let my guard down, and I guess this is the price I'm paying for my foolishness." I murmured as I took in a deep breath as the pain slowly subsided for the moment. "Well at least I still have the documents that Rin gave me." I said as I looked down at the briefcase slung underneath my right arm. So long as those documents were safe there was still hope that Amara could be brought to justice, which meant... "I can't die yet, especially not here in this alleyway. No Screw that, I'm not going to die to some sniper." I murmured and my body immediately reminded me that my life was still in danger, at risk of succumbing to my injuries. I looked down to see the command seal on my right hand glowing brightly beneath my glove, letting me know that I was still in danger. I could only imagine what Scathach or Mashu could have felt when I got shot, but I'm sure that they knew that were made aware that I was in danger, however they were five hours away from here on the other side of the state. I raised my right hand up into the air to see the command seal shining beneath it, the one on my right hand belonged to Scathach while the one on my left hand belonged to Mashu. If there was ever such a dire situation to summon a servant, now would be one of these times. Mashu would make more sense to summon Scathach in this situation, but using Mashu's command seals would mean I would lose it forever unlike Scathach's which would replenish themselves. I didn't want to use Mashu Command seals unless it was absolutely necessary, however even if I did want to use Mashu's command seal right now….. I had lost all feeling in my left arm including the use of my magical circuits in that arm. So that left me with Scathach as my only option, however not even that was an easy decision, for summoning Scathach would require me to channel whatever remaining magical energy I had into using the command seal. In doing so that would mean I would have no magical energy left to heal my injury, and an injury as severe as this would require all the magical energy I could muster. Summoning Scathach also pose the risk of people finding out, if some woman with a red spear and superhuman like abilities was to appear and run about the city with me, that would attract unwanted attention, that is assuming if Scathach didn't kill me herself. There was also the possibility that Scathach wouldn't even have enough energy left to fight, I wasn't certain. So I could summon Scathach and more than likely still die due to my injuries or Scathach herself, or I could use all my magical energy I had to heal my injuries, but even then there was no certainty I won't be killed soon afterwards. Whichever decision I made, I needed to make it soon before I bleed out….

"HEY! Are you alright!" A feminine voice suddenly cried out and I looked up slowly dazed to see a woman kneeling in front of me with a terrified expression on her face. It was a woman of average build who had shoulder length brown hair up in ponytail, and as she looked down at me I saw dark brown eyes similar to mine. The woman was wearing a buttoned up white coat with a red scarf around her neck accompanied by navy blue pants and those fluffy brown boots women were fond of wearing.

"Y-Yeah I'm doing just peachy." I replied as I let out a slight cough. "I'm just glad someone noticed that I was dying over here, everyone else just stepped on me as I crawled my way over here." I said and winced as a pain shot through my chest just at the reminder of that crawl over here. The woman looked at me with concerned filled eyes and I could see the subtle look of fear in her eyes.

"A-About that… I was one of those people who accidently tripped over you in my rush to get away…" The woman said and I vaguely remember that someone did almost trip over me. "Sorry." The woman added with sorrow filled eyes.

"Ah… Well at least you felt guilty about it. That's more than I can say for most people." I said. "And at least you came back. You're braver than most people." I added.

"I don't know if I would go so far as to call myself brave…" The woman said as she looked me over. "Anyway you have a massive hole in your chest! We need to get you to a hospital while there's still time. There's still time while that mass shooter is distracted with his rampage." The woman said and I felt her arms go underneath one of my armpits as she tried to pull me up to my feet.

"Ah Ah AH!" I exclaimed in pain as pain shot through my body and I pushed back against her. "No just put me down! I appreciate the help, but you need to get out of here!" I said as the woman let me go and I returned to my position against the wall.

"What are you talking about?!" The woman exclaimed. "You need to get to a hospital otherwise you're gonna die!" The woman exclaimed as she once more tried to lift me up.

"No just stop and listen!" I said as I raised my hand up to stop her, the woman ceased what she was doing and we stood there in silence as we listened to what was happening. "What do you hear?" I asked.

"N-Nothing…" The woman replied.

"And have you heard any more shots since the first shot was fired." I asked.

"N-No…" The woman replied with the shake of her head.

"Then it is just as I thought, this isn't the work of a mass shooter. That bullet was intended for me and me alone." I said as I placed my hand on my chest and took in a deep breath.

"W-WHAT?!" The woman gasped. "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into mister?!" The woman asked. "Is it the Government that's trying to kill you?" The woman inquired and I couldn't help but chuckle, despite how painful it was to do so.

"... No if it was the Government they would have just picked me up off the street and tossed me into a black site, either that or they would have framed me for something and tossed me in prison for life." I said with a wince as it hurt to laugh.

"W-Well that's true." The woman murmured. "If it's not the Government who's trying to kill you then I'm not really sure what kind of business you're involved in, and I'm not really sure I want to know." The woman added. "However it doesn't matter! We still need to get you to a hospital!" The woman exclaimed as she once again tried to move me.

"No! Just stop it, leave me be and get yourself to safety." I said as I stopped her from trying to lift me up again with a dismissive wave of my hand.

"I'm not going to just leave you to die!" The woman exclaimed.

"Are all women so stubborn?" I muttered under my breath. "Fine! If you want to be helpful, then do me a favor and look behind me. Tell me if there's a hole on my backside." I said and the woman's eyes filled a bit with fear.

"A hole?" The woman said.

"Yeah a hole, an exit wound." I replied.

"A-Alright…" The woman said and she knelt down next to me. Her hand on my shoulder she pulled me forward and I let out a groan of agony as just moving filled me with immense pain. The woman looked over my backside as I looked down at the blood stained snow gathered beneath me. "Y-Yeah there's a hole coming out of your back, there's a lot of blood too…." The woman said and let go of my shoulder and I returned to my upright position.

"Well that's one bit of good news." I said and the woman looked at me confused. "It means it was a clean shot and it went straight through, means I don't have a bullet lodged somewhere inside of me." I explained and the woman let out an "oh" expression. "While that doesn't mean much, it's a little bit of good news I suppose." I added.

"Then that means we need to get you to a hospital now more than ever!" The woman persisted. "If you stay here, you're going to die. We need to get you to a hospital to treat those injuries! Otherwise you're going to bleed out!" The woman exclaimed and tried to lift me up once more, only once again to be pushed back by me. She was sure persistent, I'll give her that much.

"You really are stubborn aren't you?" I said and the woman gave me an annoyed expression. "You remind me another woman I know." I added as I took another deep breath.

"Well then you should be use to dealing with stubborn women and know that I'm not going to give up." The woman said putting her hands on her hips and I let out a faint chuckle.

"Unfortunately I don't have much of a choice whether or not I get to deal with her. We're seemingly stuck together against our best wishes." I said as I sat there thinking back at the past few years with Scathach. "Even if you are as stubborn as her, you need to get out of here and as far away from me as possible. I've got at least a few minutes left at best so even if we left now, we couldn't get to a hospital in time." I said dismissively.

"Well if we stop the bleeding, maybe…" The woman said and I dismissed her once again.

"You're probably right, that would improve my chances. However the chances of actually reaching the hospital are slim, the gunman isn't going to just let me get away." I said and the woman furrowed her eyebrows. "However the least you can do is tell a dying man the name of the lady who came to my aid?" I said. The woman furrowed her eyebrows at me, seemingly as a way to let me know this wasn't the place or time to making such comments, but I gave her an insisted look and she caved letting out a sight.

"My Name… My name is Katie." Katie answered.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Katie, the name's Christopher." I said extending my hand weakly to shake, Katie grasped it and we lightly shook.

"Pleasure to meet you too, Christopher." Katie replied.

"Well I only wish it was under better circumstances." I said and put my hand to my chest as another pain shot through it.

"I wish it was also, I can't say I'm thrilled to experience my first shooting." Katie said as she put on a weak smile.

"Well when you're in my kind of work, shooting and getting shot at isn't anything new." I replied with a chuckle. "Anyway, why don't you tell me about yourself Katie." I inquired.

"Uh well there's not much to tell about me, I'm a nobody really." Katie said. "I'm just one of many accountants who works the usual 7-5 job like most people. When I'm not working I like to hang out with my friends or read a good book at home while listening to music. I live alone in apartment with my cat Amadeus." Katie said and I couldn't help but let out a chuckle much to Katie's annoyance. "Hey it's very rude of you to laugh at my cat's name!" Katie exclaimed.

"Sorry I just couldn't help but think of someone else I knew who went by Amadeus." I said as I continued to chuckle, up until the point that I ended up coughing. "But you shouldn't say that you're a nobody Katie." I said after my coughing subsided.

"Why is that? When compared to someone like you who has people trying to kill you, I'm nobody." Katie inquired.

"I say that because there was once a woman I knew, she came from what one might call not the best of upbringings." I said. "However despite her upbringings, she was determined to not let that determine who she was." I went on to explain. "She believed that every life had value and every life had a purpose, she didn't judge you whether you were poor or rich or uneducated or had a degree in Mechanical Engineering." I explained which caused Katie to have a curious look to her face. "She believed that everybody had potential to do good in the world and that one could do whatever they wanted to so long as they set their mind to it." I said. "She was determined to make a difference and leave her mark on the world, no matter how small it may be. And she was able to accomplish what some might think was impossible for someone such as herself, and even I was guilty of casting judgement too quickly." I said and there was a brief pause as I was hit by another coughing fit and coughed up more blood into my glove and onto the ground. Katie watched on with concerned eyes and after a few moments it subsided. I wiped my mouth and continued where I had left off. "...And while there were times where her belief seemed shaken or at odds with reality... she still remained loyal to her ideals and beliefs to the very end." I said as I closed my eyes for a moment.

"This woman you speak of, she seems like an extremely kind and intelligent person." Katie said.

"She really was an incredible person; she was larger than life in many ways." I said as a soft smile formed on my lips. "She could put a smile on everyone's face when she entered the room." I added.

"You speak of her in past tense, so that means…." Katie said before I cut her off.

"Yes, she's been dead for several years now." I said feeling an ache in my heart not caused by bullet wounds.

"I'm sorry to hear that, she sounds like someone we need more of in the world." Katie said with saddened eyes.

"Some might even say she was too kind for this world." I said with another sigh. "Since you've been so kind to share some of the details of your life with a complete stranger, I'm going to let you in a secret of my own." I said and Katie raised an eyebrow. "You have to promise not to tell anyone." I said with a raised finger.

"O-Okay." Katie replied with the nod of her head and I took a deep breath…

"I am a Mage." I said and Katie's eyes filled with surprise and confusion at the same time.

"A mage?! You mean like a Wizard? Like Harry Potter or something?" Katie said her voice filled with shock. "What you say, that's impossible! Magecraft is just fiction!" Katie added.

"I didn't believe it either, but it's true." I said. "However it's not quite as you say, it's akin to something like that yes, but without the wands and stupid robes." I said. "I am a Mage who uses magical energy called mana." I explained.

"You better not be joking with me in your dying moments! If so, it's not very funny!" Katie exclaimed.

"I'm not joking around with you, as much as I enjoy making bad jokes. I'm quite serious about this." I replied and Katie gave me an unconvinced expression.

"So if what you say is true, and you can indeed use magic, doesn't that mean you could like, you know heal yourself?" Katie inquired.

"Yes I can heal myself…" I said before being abruptly cut off.

"Then what have you been waiting for you stupid jerk! You've been acting like you were dying this whole time, when you could have healed yourself!" Katie exclaimed angrily as she pounded her fist against the snow.

"I was going to do that before you arrived…" I said just before being struck by another coughing fit, this time more severe than the others as a coughed up another large amount of blood.

"Hurry up and heal yourself!" Katie exclaimed as she looked at me fearfully and it took a few more moments before I recovered from my coughing fit. I had feared that coughing fit might have been the end of me, but it would appear as if I was recovered for the moment.

"Alright, Alright. But once I heal myself you need to get the hell out of here." I said. "I have no idea what the gunman is doing, but once he figures out I'm not dead I'm going to have another target on my back and you don't want to be around me when the bullets start flying." I said sternly and Katie nodded her head.

"Just promise me you won't get shot again." Katie said.

"I don't intend on getting shot again if I can help it…" I said and raised my hand up to my chest where I had been shot. My hand once again became wet with blood as it seeped into my gloves and soon coated my entire hand. I closed my eyes and concentrated all of my remaining magical energy into healing. Without needing to mutter any words I activated the healing spell and even though my eyes were closed I could see the green light that was emitting when I activated the spell, soon afterwards I winced as I felt flesh and bone begin to repair themselves as the hole in my chest closed and it wasn't until I felt as my skin literally pull itself back together and my heart start to beat regularly, that I removed my hand from my chest and opened my eyes. In front of me was an astonished looking Katie whose jaw might fall off at any moment. Not that I was surprised that she was surprised, she just witness what some might consider impossible without several hours of surgery.

"T-the hole in your chest…. It… It's like the skin pulled itself back together." Katie said still sounding as if she didn't quite fully grasp how it happened.

"That's probably the best way of describing it." I said as I took in a deep breath of air.

"Are… Are you going to be alright?" Katie asked.

"I'm not at risk of dying at the immediate moment if that's what you mean by "Are you going to be alright?"" I replied. "However I am completely drained of almost all of my magical energy and on top of that my body is still tired." I added.

"I'm glad to hear that, even if I still don't fully comprehend what I witness I'm just glad you're okay." Katie said placing her hand on her chest.

"I'm okay for now, anything past that is uncertain." I said taking a deep breath. "Now you need to fulfill your promise and get the hell out of here, get as far away from me as possible and remember don't tell anyone about mages or magic. That's our little secret." I said and Katie seemed to hesitate as her eyes were still filled with concern. "I'll be fine Katie, now just get the hell out of here. I don't want you to get shot because of me!" I said waving my hand at her to get out of here.

"O-Okay Chris I'll rush home! I also won't tell anyone about what I saw." Katie said affirmatively as she stood up. "J-Just Please stay safe!" Katie said and I looked up at her with a reassuring smile.

"You too Katie, I don't want to hear anything bad happened to a young beautiful looking woman when I get home tonight and turn on the news." I said with the wave of my hand. A small smile formed on her lips and Katie nodded her hand in understanding. Katie turned around and I watched as she ran down the alleyway before disappearing down a side alleyway leading her to no doubt one of the roads that would lead her to safety. With Katie gone now I was left in the alleyway by myself.

"Well I better get moving too." I said and I slowly completed the difficult task of raising myself off the ground and up onto my feet, and after a little over a minute I was what one could call standing, although be barely as I was slumped up against the wall for support. However feeling in my left arm was slowly returning to me as I began to curl my fingers and twist my wrist. I heard a bone pop in my arm and after a minute I regained most of the feeling in my arms. I pushed myself off the wall and stood up straight, still however relying on the support of the wall to keep myself up. I looked around the alleyway to gather my bearings, as expected it was completely deserted with the exception of me. There were no longer people running past the alleyway anymore which made sense since it had been at least ten minutes since I had initially been shot, I hadn't really been keeping track of time. What I was more worried about was the shooter, where was he or she? My body wasn't where they had shot me, so they must know that I'm not dead. The question was why they haven't come down here and found me yet? They could have easily finished me off, instead nothing but silence since then. Perhaps they had rushed off before confirming the kill? Or perhaps they were waiting me out? I didn't know the answer to those questions, but I did know is I needed to get out of here right now and get back to my car. I turned around to face the dark alleyway and started taking my first steps forward while my hand traced along the brick wall as I used to support myself. I had only taken a few steps and I already felt my breathing grow heavy, and I placed my hand up my chest as I stopped to catch my breath. Even though my injuries were healed, my body was still not recovered and the healing spell had left me exhausted. Regardless of that fact, I needed to get a move on it. I pushed off of the wall and fought through exhaustion, slowly staggering my way down the alleyway…

Upon reaching the end of the alleyway after a few painstaking minutes I stopped just before the alleyway exited out onto the street. I slowed down and creeped towards the edge of the building where I pressed my back up against the building and looked out onto the street. The street for the most part was completely deserted as anyone who was in the immediate vicinity had fled, well everyone except for me. All that remained now on the street were parked and abandoned cars. Scattered about the ground were shopping bags and other accessories from pocketbooks and even phones. This all felt surreal, this was like a scene out of a horror film or a show on National Geographic. Either way it wasn't the first time I've seen places completely deserted where it looked as if everyone had dropped everything and fled. However every time I had been in one of those situations I had at least a few dozen guys, tanks, and attack helicopters backing me up. This time it was just me and a lone sniper in a deserted district of one of the most populated cities on the east coast. Off in the distance I could hear police sirens approaching so I shouldn't say it was totally deserted, there could already be some cops on site and soon SWAT Teams and cops would be flooding the area. However by the time they got here, it would be too late for me. I had to get back to my car, which was all the way across the city, and then get back home. "Boy once I never get home, I'm never leaving again. Although I do wonder if a sniper bullet would be better than the verbal abuse I'll receive from Scathach when I get home…." I thought to myself, but shook those thoughts out of my head. I checked to see that I still had the briefcase underneath my arm and upon confirmation I rested my head back against the cold wall behind me and I rose my hand up to my chest as I took in several deep breaths. Upon my final breath I rounded the corner….

I stepped out into the open with the snow crunching beneath my feet and everything seemed quiet for a few moments, but that deafening silence was short lived as a second shot rang out and I heard as the bullet zipped over my head barely missing me.

"Shit!" I exclaimed as I ducked my head and scurried across the road ducking behind a car just as the third shot rang in my ears. Glass flew over my head and sirens blasted in my ear as the car alarm went off right next to me. I stayed prone on the ground for a moment as I looked underneath the rows of cars, I couldn't see anyone down the street so that could only mean that the shooter was not on the street level and instead watching me from a towering building. I looked around and saw there weren't many options for me, I could either run backwards which was at least several blocks and that was taking a huge risk as the further back I went the more of a height advantage over me this guy would have, running forward which would be suicidal and stupid, or making a break for another alleyway of the side. I think the answer quite obvious; heading down the back alleys was my safest option. I pulled myself up off the ground and crouched there behind the car for a few moments and then…. I took off running straight for the alleyway. As soon as I left cover another bullet whizzed past my head, but it only took a few moments for me to reach the alleyway to safety by the time the fourth shot whizzed scrapped past my backside tearing my coat a little. However I was safe for now as I stood there with my back pressed up against the wall breathing in deeply. My hand went to my back as I felt to see if I was bleeding, but everything seemed good back there. "Well at least I now know for sure, that the assassin isn't going to be going anywhere until he kills me or I kill him or both maybe." I thought to myself as I took another breath and looked down the alleyway, it lead down to the next street. I know that I had spent at least roughly thirty minutes walking before I had gotten shot, and it had taken me an hour to get to Rin from the parking garage and that had been at a fast pace. My phone had told me I was taking the fastest route back to my car, so assuming that it was telling me the truth I was maybe roughly ten to fifteen minutes out from my car. So long as I stuck to the alleyways for the most part and avoided wide open spaces I would be safe, and I mean the shooter would eventually run out of building right? So I needed to keep moving to stay alive. I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled my phone out, holding it out in my hand I tapped the screen and it lit up to reveal Mashu's smiling face covered in blood, I frowned a little and wiped my the blood off the screen, this did little to clean up the screen and instead only smeared the blood across the screen. I didn't have time to clean my phone properly so there was not much I could do right now. Sliding my thumb across the blood covered screen I went to my map app and looked to see if I was even heading in the right direction. If I kept heading east west down the alleyway I would reach the parking garage soon enough. With the information in check I slid my phone back into my pocket and headed down the alleyway…

Five minutes later

I rushed into the alleyway just as another shot rang out behind me. I stopped to catch my breath as I rested my head against the wall of the alleyway. I looked over my shoulder to back at the road where I had narrowly avoided death once again. There had been several near death moments crossing over the roads since that was the only time the sniper ever had a shot at me, but so far I had been lucky narrowly escaping death as bullets either grazed me or I had ducked behind cover. Either way, I wasn't going to complain that this sharpshooter was a bad shot. I needed to keep moving and get back to my car; I've had about enough of this city. I turned around and looked down the alleyway to see it was relatively short before reaching the next road, as I was getting farther away from the city center where taller buildings were. That also meant that the shooter was running out of taller buildings overlooking me, assuming he was jumping from building to building. Which also meant if he wanted to kill me he'd need to come down to ground level, this was both good and bad since his odds of killing me increased the closer he got to me. "I just need to keep moving!" I thought to myself as pushed myself off of the wall and rushed down the alleyway. Reaching the end of the alleyway my eyes widened as I was met with the realization that had also reached the end of the alleyway experience. The path that lay ahead of me was a long stretch of road flanked by two to three story housing on either side. "I suppose it had known I would eventually run out of alleyways to duck between. Oh well, I can't stop now." I thought to myself and as I finished I took a deep breath. I then stepped out into the open. I looked around as I came out into the open to see if the coast was clear. Upon confirming the coast was clear, my steps soon broke out into a full sprint as I rushed across the open road and for a few minutes everything seemed peaceful… A little too peaceful. Just as I was across the road and make it to safety, pain once again greeted me…

I hit the ground face forward crashing into the snow as pain jolted up my leg and through the rest of my body.

"FUCK!" I cried out in pain as I turned over on my side and looked down at my leg to see blood oozing out of the bullet hole in my leg painting the snow red. I scooted backwards to safety behind the concrete wall in front of the houses. I looked down at my leg and placed my hand over the bullet wound to try and stop the bleeding. Blood oozed into my gloves just as it had before, but this time it wasn't as bad.

"God damn it I guess it was only a matter of time before my luck ran out and he hit me…." I murmured as I pressed down causing me to wince at the pain. "Well at least it was in the leg this time…..not that it makes it any better." I murmured before wincing once more at the pain shooting up my leg. I took a deep breath and focused my mind as I tried channel mana through my arm. There was a small glimmer of green beneath the palm of my hand, but it disappeared in mere seconds. The pain however still persisted and I lifted my hand to see that the wound was still there. "Shit it's as I expected, I don't have enough mana to even cast a healing spell for a wound such as this." I murmured as I reached up and grasped my scarf around my neck. The scarf unraveled as I pulled it from my neck and began to wrap it around the hole in my leg. "The wound doesn't seem to be fatal so hopefully this will do until I can get back to my car…." I murmured as I tied the knot on my scarf. I slowly rose to my feet and turned around facing down the street and began walking forward. I gritted my teeth as pain shot up my body as each step I took was painful, but I had to bear with it for now. I made my way down the long stretch of road slowly but surely…

It was a minute or more before I finally reached the end of the long stretch relatively unhindered, well except the slight limp in my walking now. I reached down and grasped my leg as the pain was constantly reminding me that there was a hole in my leg. The wound was slowing me down even more than I already had been, if it hadn't been for that wound I could have already been here a minute ago. I reached into my jacket and pulled out my phone again to check how far away the garage was. Opening up the map app revealed that I was only a few blocks away from the Parking garage now! A few more blocks and I could finally get the hell out of here! I slid my phone back into my pocket and limped forward down the alleyway before coming out the other side onto the next street. As I emerged from the alleyway I cautiously looked up and down the street to make sure the coast was clear before taking another step forward. The street as the others before it completely deserted, I limped a few steps forward before ducking behind a car and peering around the corner. Even though I was already miles away from the where first shot had fired, the shots that followed me throughout the city had sent everyone within earshot indoors or in the opposite direction. Now that I think about it, I wondered if I should have just found a building and ducked inside until morning so police would have things locked down. However that would put me at risk of being cornered if the shooter found me on top of putting civilians at risk depending on how far this shooter was willing to go to kill me. "I won't have any civilians caught in the crossfire when I'm the target." I murmured to myself. The best solution that reduced the risk to civilian casualties and myself was still to get to my car and get the hell out of here. With that decision final, I burst out from behind the car and dragged myself down the street until I had reached the next alleyway. Reaching the entrance to the alleyway I stopped once again as I grimaced as the pain shot up my leg.

"Just a little bit further…" I murmured to myself and carried onward down the alleyway until I reached the end of the alleyway which led instead of plopping me out onto another street, it brought me into a rather large open area. It was a playground area behind the houses or apartment buildings where kids could play on equipment or around the trees. At the moment there actually were a young female and male child happily playing in the snow of playground. It reminded me of my happy carefree days with me and my sister at home when we weren't getting shot at constantly….. I shook my head; there was no time for such thoughts. I'd rather be alive and call my sister later to have her chew me out for pestering her then have her mourn my dead body… With those stupid thoughts out of my head it was time to move forward. I slowly stepped out into the open, the sound of snow crunching beneath my feet as I inched forward. It was best just to act casual and not raise any suspicion. "Why the hell were their kids out playing this late anyway? I wouldn't say it was past bedtime for most kids, but it was surely late out to be playing? And where were the parents? Didn't they know there was a shooter out and about the city?!" I thought to myself as I looked on at the kids playing as I casually walked by. "God damn parents these days! Leaving their kids unattended too! My Mother would ring my sister and I's necks if weren't in our rooms working on homework or sleeping at this time!" I thought to myself as I recalled the scolding I would get from my Mother for not going to bed on time. Just as I finished having these thoughts something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. All of the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I froze in place, slowly turning to face what had caught my eye. Another figure had emerged from another one of the alleys and looked around furiously; the figure was clad in heavy white armor and winter camo. The figure scanned the area with their hands firmly gripping the black automatic rifle in their hands. Then their gaze eventually stopped on me and instinctively raised their gun at me.

"SHIT!" I exclaimed and my eyes immediately went towards the two kids playing in the middle of all this. I rushed forwards towards the two kids just as the area behind me was sprayed with bullets. Before the two kids themselves knew what was happening I swept them up underneath my arms and rushed forward to the nearest alleyway ducking my head as more bullets went overhead. These kids were either some of the calmest kids I had ever encountered or they were solely petrified with fear, because there was only a few gasp and cries as I picked them up. With the two kids tucked underneath my arms, my feet carried me as fast as they could across the wide open area. The sound of bullets cracking through the air was head and several bursts of bullets whizzed all around me shooting up the entire neighborhood. I could hear cries come from inside the buildings and dogs barking as this entire neighborhood woke up to the sound of gunfire. "God If I don't die, I can only imagine the headlines tomorrow morning…" I thought to myself and winced slightly as a bullet grazed me slightly. Meanwhile the two rascals beneath me continued to remain quiet, either because they knew that they were in extreme danger and should keep their mouths shut or as I theorized earlier, they were still in extreme shock. Either way I was just glad they weren't kicking in screaming or this would be even harder on me. Just as another hail of gunfire whizzed past my back, we finally reached safety as I ducked into the alleyway. However my feet didn't stop carrying me forward, I knew the gunman would be right behind me in a few moments. After I was about halfway down the alleyway I let the children down onto their feet.

"Get out of here!" I shouted at them and they looked back at me with fearful expressions. "Run back to your parents! GO ON!" I exclaimed as I gave them a push forward. The kids looked at me fearfully before they finally ran crying down the alleyway and disappearing around the corner. Pain shot through up my leg like a bolt of lighting and I winced as I was reminded that I still had a bullet hole through my leg. Just then I heard the sound of footsteps rushing through the snow and knew I had to keep moving despite my injury. I'll just have to bear with it, just a little bit longer…

I rushed out onto the street before coming to screeching stop and my head swiveled back and forth as I looked around the street. It was another deserted residential street filled with parked cars, but where were the alleyways!? Getting caught out in the open was a death sentence waiting to happen and I needed to try and lose the gunman before I got back to my car. Speaking of my car, which direction was the parking garage anyway! Just as I was having these thoughts I heard footsteps behind me and my head snapped to face the shooter emerging from around the corner. Shit! I shot down the alleyway just as I heard more shots behind me as the gunman had tried to shoot off a quick burst before my escape. I ran down the street at full speed fighting back the pain in my leg, and I heard footsteps behind me and looked over my shoulder to see the gunman appear around the corner with his gun raised and take aim at me. He was gonna have a clear shot at me running in straight line down the street! I returned my glance forward and seeing the nearest car I threw myself at it. A pain shot through my shoulder as I slammed into the windshield and rolled over the hood of the car before plopping down on the ground with a prompt oomph. Overhead the car was riddled with bullets and the car alarm blared in my ear following shortly after. I rolled over on my side and pushed myself up against the car. My eyes darted up and down the street as I looked for a way exit, to my right I could see guard railings at the end of the street and the street split off into two directions. That must have meant that we were close to the river now, and if memory served me correctly the parking garage sat alongside the riverbank. Now all I needed to do was follow the river, however taking the road route would be suicidal. I needed to stick to the alleyways, that was my best chance of survival. As I scanned up and down the street it was then when I spotted an opening leading to an alleyway on the other side of the road. The only problem now was getting there. I got up to my knees and remained crouched beneath the car, turning around I peeked over the hood and scanned for the gunman. It didn't take long for me to spot him coming slowly down the sidewalk with his gun raised in my direction. He had apparently spotted me as well as the barrel of his gun swiveled straight at me. I ducked my head underneath the car just as another burst of bullets riddled the hood of the car and shot overhead. I took a deep breath. "That was a close one!" I thought to myself and just I had that thought my heart skipped a beat as bullets whizzed past my head and shot up snow around me. I looked to my side to see several bullet sized hole next to me as the shooter had shot through the car! "Well of course he shot the car you idiot! You're not hiding behind an Armored Truck! You're hiding behind a Family Sedan!" I thought, angry at myself. I peeked over the hood of the car once more to see what our shooter was doing now. Just as I did I saw he was performing a mag swap. Shit now was my chance! I pushed myself up to my feet with a groan and rushed across the street. Looking over my shoulder I saw the shooters masked face shoot towards me as he rushed across the street and he rushed to reach for a fresh magazine. I redirected my attention forward and saw the line of cars in front of me, and as I reached the other side of the street I leaped over the hood of the nearest car and came crashing down on the ground with a grunt as I hit the hard concrete. Just behind me the car was riddled with more bullets setting off yet another car alarm. I didn't waste any time as I scrambled to my feet and stayed ducked behind the line of cars and began going from car to car as I made my way down the street. My ear ringed as more shots fired and I ducked my head as glass rained all around me. The shooter continued to fire at me as I traversed behind the cover of the cars, several more car alarms set off as they were sprayed with bullets. It didn't take long before I had reached the entrance to the alleyway and I stopped to take a deep breath…. Then I jumped up to my feet and made a dash for the alleyway. It was only a few moments before I ducked inside the safety of the alley just as dust clouds shot up behind me from the shooters last burst he sent towards me, but only end up hitting the brick wall behind me.

"HA! Sucker! They should have sent someone with better aim!" I exclaimed as I ducked into the alleyway and rushed forward hoping to lose him.

A few minutes had gone by as the gunman chased me down, but it finally appeared as if I had lost the in the maze of alleyways. I could see the large towering red pillars of the car garage ahead of me meaning it wasn't far now. It wouldn't be long now before I was sitting back in my car and on way home…. At that moment I was completely blindsided as I felt a heavy weight slam into me from my side.

"UCK!" I exclaimed as I smashed into the wall and crashed to the ground hitting the floor of the dirty alleyway. I groaned in agony as I hit the ground for the pain from my shoulder injury was still lingering. I slowly lifted myself off the ground before being sent back down with a kick to the back. An oomph left my mouth as I hit the ground again, and this time I turned over on my back slowly to face the person who had just kicked me down. There was only one person it could be, and my suspicions were confirmed when I faced the armored shooter standing over me with his gun. The man stood over me wore white combat armor with white camouflaged clothing, his mask was covered by a black ski mask and goggles, and he had on a white combat helmet. There were no identifying markers on his armor or any flags, but there was no doubt this man was from Chaldea. The barrel of what appeared to be an M4 Automatic rifle was pointed in my face and I rose my hands up in surrender. I was blinded as the flashlight on the side of his gun flicked on and I rose my hand up to my face to cover the blinding light. Behind my hand I saw the gunman raise his hand up to the side of his helmet.

"Target Confirmation?" The gruff male voice said into what appeared to be a headset microphone. A few moments passed as I sat there anxiously before he spoke again. "Roger that, Kill Confirmation?" The shooter asked and I sat there now with sweat rolling down my forehead even in such freezing weather. A few moments passed, but when his hand returned to his rifle and he raised it up taking aim, it was then that I knew this was it. I had hit the end of the line. My mind raced as I tried to think of something to do, but nothing was going to save me this time. This masked gunman was going to kill me here and now in some cruddy alleyway in a far away city, and just when I was so close to escaping…. "Well I always knew this job was going to be the death of me, even Raelin had warned me that Chaldea might be the death of me. And I guess she was right, but I don't think even she could have anticipated that I'd be killed by my own employer after getting caught up in some plot out of a spy novel…." I thought to myself as laid there before eventually taking a deep breath. "A-Ah well I suppose I had a good life, now I'll finally able to reunite with you Raelin… My only regret being is I will have failed those in life just as I failed you. I'm sorry Mom, Dad, Kira, My friends, Mashu, Jeanne…. And even Scathach. I'm sorry for letting you all down…"

Just as I was about to accept my fate of being shot in this alleyway I saw something out of the corner of my eye soaring through the air before finally striking its target.

"Guck!" The Gunman exclaimed just then as what appeared to have been a snowball of solid ice struck the side of his head. The ice ball bounced off his helmet, but was still enough to make him to turn his attention to his side. This was the opportunity I needed! I swept my feet at the shooter and kicked his feet out from underneath him. The gunman hit his back as he crashed to the ground. Not wasting any time I scrambled to get up on my feet and I rushed down the alleyway putting as much distance as possible between me and the gunman. I wasn't going to let myself get captured again by the gunman, just a little bit further. My legs kept carrying me forward and as I got closer to the large red pillars of the parking garage I spotted a door handle sticking out from a wall. That had to be a side door to the parking garage! I reached my hand out as I drew closer and grasped the handle.

"This had better not be fucking locked!" I murmured and gave the door a tug…. To my surprise the door pulled open. "Good." I said and swung the door open. I turned my attention down the alleyway and saw the gunman still on his back; however our eyes met at that moment as he sat up. The gunman reached for his rifle grabbing it and took aim at me; my eyes widened and scurried inside. At that exact moment the door was riddled with bullets and I ducked my head narrowly avoiding being sprayed with bullets. Turning back to look at the door I saw it filled with 10-15 something odd holes, he had dumped half a mag into the door! I pulled the door shut and looked around for a way to buy myself some time. I was in the staircase of the parking garage and it was bleakly lit by one light bulb on this floor. There wasn't going to be much here to help me, but there was a chain hanging from a post. Reaching up I grasped the chain and brought it down, and began wrapping it around the door handle and a nearby pipe running along the wall. Taking a step back I looked at my work. "Good that outta buy me a few minutes…" I murmured as I gripped the strap of my briefcase and tugged on it to make sure it was still secure. With briefcase still secure and some minutes bought I turned around and dashed up the stairs as fast as my legs could carry me...

Finally reaching the top of the staircase I stopped to catch my breath as I leaned against the doorframe panting. I took this moment to look around the dark parking garage, only to come to the realization that this wasn't the top floor!

"Are you kidding me? This staircase doesn't go all the way to the top!" I exclaimed angrily, gritting my teeth I hit my fist against the door frame. I be there was probably some elevator I missed at the bottom…. Oh well I guess I'll just have to go up via the ramps. I pushed myself off of the doorframe and stumbled forward into the dark garage. The parking garage was pitch black with the cold air of the garage being evident as my breath was visible with each breath I took. The whole feeling gave off an eerie vibe, and it didn't help that a gunman was lurking a few floors below me. I crept my way forward approaching the ramp where I made my way up the next floor. My hand traced the railing until it finally ran off until I reached the next floor. I rounded the corner and passed by a few cars…. When suddenly I heard the ding of an elevator and my head swung around to look behind me. My eyes widened as I saw the green light above an elevator letting me know it was stopping on my floor. I knew there had been an elevator damn it, but how'd the gunman know to stop on this floor? I bet you the same stupid person who designed the staircases of this place also designed the elevator to drop you off on the second to last floor. I may have a degree in Mechanical Engineering, but it didn't take an Architectural degree to know that this place's design was flawed. Now wasn't the time to complain about the flawed design of this parking garage, I needed to get out of sight! I rushed to the nearest car and ducked behind it, just as I entered cover I heard footsteps exit the elevator and the elevator doors close shut. I wasn't going to waste any time hanging around here! I spun around and made my way around the front of the cars. I slowly crept alongside the cars making my way towards the other end of the line of cars. Being quiet as one could possibly be I heard the footsteps continue to approach from behind me. Finally however I reached the other end of the cars and now all I needed to do was cross over to the ramp leading me upwards. I stayed crouched behind the second to last car and I looked towards the ramp leading upwards. However just as I was about to make a break for it a voice called out to me.

"OPERATIVE! I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE!" The gunman called out and I stopped myself short of dashing to the ramp. I remained hidden behind the car before slowly backing up towards the front of the car once more making my way around the last car, concealing myself in the darker area of the garage. I crept alongside the car peering over the doors trying to see through the windows, to no avail. I made my way to the end of the car once more and stayed crouched there motionless. As I sat there motionless I could hear the gunman's footsteps drawing closer and closer. "I could have sworn that I shot you straight through the heart, but I guess you got lucky. Otherwise we wouldn't be here right now." The gunman called out. Yeah well you can thank me being alive for your shitty aim. "However your luck runs out here in this parking garage, I suggest you slowly come out with your hands up. I might be merciful." The gunman called out to me once again. That's what they always say, there's no way in hell I'm going to believe that. There's only one more floor to go up before I reach my car, this guy's just wasting my time. I was about to dash across to the ramp before I was stopped once again. "ENOUGH GAMES! Come out otherwise I'm going to blow your friends brains all across the car windshields if you don't come out right now Operative." The gunman demanded. What friend? Was he talking about Rin? No way, Rin should be on her way back to Fuyuki by now. It was then when a familiar voice cried out to me.

"Chris!" The familiar voice of Katie called out to me. My ears almost couldn't believe it, was that really Katie? I peered around the bumper and down the line of the cars I saw the gunman standing there with the young woman I had met thirty minutes ago held in a headlock with a gun pointed to the side of her head. I ducked my head back behind the car and raised my hand up to my head. Shit that really was her. "What on Earth was she doing here? I thought I told her to get as far away as possible, I swear to god! She really was as stubborn as Scathach." I thought to myself as I gritted my teeth. What on Earth was I going to do? I could do as the gunman asked and come out peacefully and maybe she might be spared in exchange I'd probably get shot, or I could slip away and get to my car. Katie would probably get shot in the latter, but at least I'd get away… God what was I going to do? On one hand I barely knew this girl, but on the other hand she had come to my aid and was an innocent civilian...

"OPERATIVE! I grow tired of waiting, come out or these cars are gonna get a red paint job." The gunman said and I heard sobbing begin to ensue from Katie. My options were pretty limited here. My hand went back to my side as I pushed my jacket back and my hand went to my empty waist side….. "God damn it! I forgot my gun in the car! This is the last time I'll ever not carry my gun on me!" I thought to myself as I grimaced. It was then when I heard the cock of a gun and I looked up. "I'm going to start counting to three…. One…" The gunman began his countdown. I stayed there crouched as I thought of what to do. Sweat rolled down the sides of my forehead as my mind raced. "...Two…" The gunman was now only one number away to Katie's death. I felt my heart beating against my chest telling me that I should run for it, but….. "...Thr….."

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!" I exclaimed as I stood up from behind the car and stepped out into the open with my hands raised up. The gunman's gaze shifted to me, but the barrel of his pistol remained pointed at Katie's head who squirmed underneath his grasp. "You've put me in quite the unfortunate bind it would seem." I said.

"Heh that's funny. I was about to say the same thing, I've had to chase you down throughout this whole damn city." The gunman replied and I frowned. My gaze shifted to Katie who was looking at me fearfully.

"Katie what the hell are you doing here! I thought I told you to get as far away as possible!" I exclaimed.

"I-I'm sorry Chris….. I just wanted to make sure you were safe….." Katie murmured pitifully.

"You should have just gone home! Now we're both probably going to die." I said with a sigh.

"You shouldn't be too harsh on the poor girl Commander. She did save your life, if it hadn't been for her I would have shot you dead in that alleyway." The gunman said and I grimaced. So that had been her that had hit the gunman in the head with the ball of ice. I guess I never really had a choice in whether or not I could reveal myself, I owed Katie my life.

"Katie god damn it." I said shaking my head and I heard her let out a whimper. "Now you've put us both in a tough bind…" I muttered before looking up. "Well I would ask if I could appeal to your sense of morality Soldier and ask that you release an innocent civilian, but given the fact you shot at me while I was carrying children I doubt you have a sense of morality." I said and a few moments passed before the soldier started laughing.

"Ha-ha what they say about you really is true Commander. You really are a Smartass." The gunman replied.

"Well it was worth a shot. I don't suppose instead I could order you to put down your gun and stop trying to kill me." I said.

"I'm afraid not this time Commander, you've been outranked." The gunman said.

"I figured as much. Alright so what do you want? Besides to shoot me?" I asked with my hands still raised up.

"Put the briefcase down on the ground!" The gunman barked at me.

"The Briefcase?" I looked down at the briefcase still tucked underneath my arms. "The one filled with your dirty little secrets?" I said before looking back up.

"Drop the briefcase Commander." The gunman said.

"I'll drop the briefcase and leave myself at your mercy if you'll agree to let the woman go." I said. As sucky of an option as it was, it was only the right decision to make to exchange my life for Katie's. "She has nothing to do with this and is just an innocent bystander." I pleaded and the gunman remained silent for a moment.

"Drop the briefcase and you have a deal." The gunman replied.

"Alright. I'm dropping the briefcase, let's all just remain calm." I said.

"Christopher don't do it…." Katie murmured at me pitifully.

"Katie just shut up, this is the only way." I said as I slowly let the strap of the briefcase slump down my arm till it was in my hand. The gunman watched as I slowly lowered myself and the briefcase to the ground where I placed it next to me.

"Alright I did what you asked. Now just let Katie go." I said as I slowly stood back up with my hands raised.

"Good work Commander, at least you're somewhat capable of following orders." The gunman said.

BAM!

In that moment it felt like time momentarily stood still as my ears ringed at the shot that went off sending a ringing noise throughout the parking garage and my eyes widened as Katie's brains were blasted through the other side of her head spraying blood everywhere across the parking garage. The gunman let go of her body and I watched on in horror as her lifeless body fell down to the ground.

"KATIE! NO!" I exclaimed reaching my hand out as her lifeless body hit the ground and a blood puddle formed around her body. I watched as the life left the young woman's eyes and all that remained was a corpse. I looked up at the gunman furiously as my fingers curled into a fist. "You bastard!" I exclaimed angrily.

"Sorry Commander. Letting her go was never going to be an option. Especially after you broke the cardinal rule." The gunman asked. "Telling or exposing normal humans to magic is strictly forbidden." The gunman went onto say. I grimaced as I remember that I had indeed told Katie about magic in that alleyway alongside of showing her, and thanks to my mistake Katie's lifeless corpse now laid in a parking garage. "So even if I had wanted to let her go. A normal human knowing of magic couldn't be allowed to live." The gunman as he pointed his gun at me now. "Now I believe it's time to wrap things up, you'll be joining her shortly." The gunman said. Shit! Another shot rang out through the garage and I ducked my head just as a bullet whizzed past my head. I scrambled to get to the ramp now. Before I left however it was out of the corner of my eye I saw my briefcase still laying where I had laid it down. I wasn't going to leave my briefcase behind all the evidence, not now, not after Katie had been killed for this evidence. I ducked down grabbing the briefcase just as I missed another bullet and scurried around the corner and rushed up the ramp, but not before shooting one more look at Katie's now lifeless body laying on the floor. I looked back cursing myself for being unable to save her before I ducked behind the pillar, barely missing yet again another bullet that whizzed past my backside. Behind me I heard the gunman scream DAMN IT!

The cold hit me as I reached the top of ramp practically out of breath by now as I hadn't stopped running since leaving the gunman and Katie behind me. I stood there for a moment out of breath as I looked around the top floor of the garage. The snowstorm was really starting to begin now as snow flurried down to the ground from the dark clouds above. The top floor of the parking garage was dimly lit by a few lamp posts, but nothing compared to the previous lighting this was certainly an improvement. As I scanned the top floor I finally spotted my car tucked in the corner where I had left it and seeing my car brought me some small hope in this nightmarish night. My legs carried me forward and I limped towards my car. I almost ran into the back of my car because of how ecstatic I was to finally see my car. Upon reaching the back of my car my hand dove into my pocket as I searched for my key. When I finally had grasped my key I pressed down on the trunk release button and the familiar pop was heard as the trunk opened up. I lifted the trunk up all the way and slid my briefcase off my shoulder and with my other freehand lifted the trunk floor and placed the briefcase where the spare tire was. Once the briefcase was secure I slammed the trunk shut and rushed around the car to the driver door. I grasped the door handle giving it a pull, and much to my annoyance it wasn't open. "Oh for god's sake." I murmured as my hand dove into my pocket once more reaching for my key. Finding my key once more I clicked down on the car door unlock button and gave the door another tug. Still nothing! "What the hell!" I exclaimed. Just then my eyes spotted the gunman appear as he came up from the ramp. I ducked my head behind my car just before the gunman turned to look this way. After I ducked down I saw my own dirty face in the reflection in the black paint of my car. I frowned and ruffled my eyebrows as I pulled my keys out of their pocket and looked down at them trying to make out the symbols in the dark. I looked up and pointed the key at the car pressing the unlock button while my other hand gave another tug on the door handle, much to my annoyance nothing happened. "Oh come on this is pissing me off." I said as I turned the key over and jabbed it towards the keyhole. Tch the keyhole was frozen! I jabbed at the keyhole repeatedly as I whittled down the ice before the key finally slipped in and I turned it hearing the metallic click letting me know the door was open. I pulled the car door open and stepped back as it swung past me, the map light turned on illuminating the cabin. I crawled into the cabin and pulled back the center console and gripped my Colt 1911, pulling it from its holster in the console. I slid back out of my car and remaining crouched I crept over to the back end of my car. Looking back at my gun, I reached out and pulled the slide back on my 1911 which caused me smile as it cocked into place. "Oh God, how I've missed you. Never again will I go anywhere without you." I murmured and just then I heard the gunman's footsteps grow closer. I pressed up against my car and peeked around the corner of my car to see the gunman walking slowly down the line with what appeared to be an MP7 submachine gun in his hands. "Oh come on!" I thought to myself as I retracted my head back behind cover. I shook my head, it didn't matter what gun he had, and now that I was armed as well the playing field was at the very least, a little more even. I slowly stood up as I peered over the trunk of my car with my firearm at the ready. The gunman was slowly approaching my car as he scanned the area with his submachine gun. I rested my arms on the trunk of my car and took aim with my pistol resting the sights on the gunman lining my sights up with the center of his chest. I wrapped my finger around the trigger and inhaled, exhaling I squeezed the trigger….

The muzzle flash was so bright that it could almost blind a man. The gunman staggered backwards as the bullet hit him square in the chest. However that wasn't enough to put the gunman down as he had recovered from that in no time as he turned his gun towards me and I ducked my head just as he squeezed a burst off in my direction. The bullets whizzed over my head and I emerged from cover again with my pistol raised and squeezed off another few rounds which missed him. The muzzle flash almost blinding me along with the air filling with gunpowder. Once I had sent off my rounds I quickly returned behind cover and as I ducked behind cover there was the sound of another burst of automatic fire went overhead and I heard a loud shatter as the bullets struck the rear glass of my car and eventually shattered after more bullets struck it. I grimaced and ducked peered around the corner of my bumper with my gun raised; taking aim I squeezed the trigger once more. Once the muzzle flash had cleared I saw the gunman stagger back after the bullet had struck him, only for him to recover a few seconds later as he raised his gun and firing at my position once more. All that god damn armor he had on is just allowing him to absorb my .45 rounds; I should have worn armor... I looked away as plastic from my tail light shattered and hit me in the back of the head. I looked back to see the gunman getting closer to my position. I rose my gun up once more and took aim before squeezing off another round only for it to miss him. The barrel of his gun flashed as he shot off another burst and I ducked behind my car once more as more bullets tore up the back of my car. I peered out from behind the car to see that the gunman ejecting his magazine to the ground and reaching into his pouch for another magazine. I need to relocate to a more tactical position and this was a chance to get some good shots off. I exited from my cover and took aim immediately as I backed up. The gunman looked up as soon as emerged from cover and I took aim at him and squeezed the trigger. Past the muzzle flash I saw the bullet strike him as he staggered backwards as it looked like my hit had landed on his left arm as I watched blood run down his arm to the ground.

"Gurk! You bastard!" The gunman exclaimed as his hand went to his shoulder, I squeezed the trigger once more sending another shot his way and it ended up striking him in the chest sending him staggering backwards. I continued to back up until ducking behind the next car and slumping down to the ground. I pulled the slide back on my pistol to see I still had one bullet left in the chamber. Suddenly the car jerked as it was riddled with bullet holes as it seemed as if the gunman had finally reloaded. I sat there slumped against the car wheel as bullets rattled the car. A few moments then passed and it was relatively quiet, a little too quiet. I decided to poke my head out from behind cover and at that moment I saw as the gunman lobbed a grenade straight at me. The grenade landed a few meters away from me. SHIT! There's no way I can clear the blast radius in time. I scrambled out of cover for the grenade, and upon breaking from cover bullet whizzed all around me as the gunman opened fire on me. I scooped up the grenade in my hand and turned around to face the gunman, I only had a few seconds to spare! Throwing back my arm I chucked the grenade straight back at him much to his surprise as he backed up as the grenade hurtled through the air towards him. An explosion followed mere seconds after I chucked the grenade and I rose my arms up to protect my face as shrapnel flew overhead. A moment passed before I lowered my arms and saw a black smoke cloud in front of me. I rose my pistol up and aimed into the black smoke cloud waiting for it to clear. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to look through the clouds of smoke. Did I get him? That would certainly be nice if that was the case. As I stepped forward keeping my gun raised, and just when I was beginning to think he had been killed by his own grenade a figure rushed straight towards me through the smoke.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The gunman exclaimed as he rushed through the black smoke cloud slamming into me. I was caught completely by surprise as he slammed into me and my grasp on my pistol loosened and it fell from my hand as the gunman picked me up off my feet and over his shoulder. The gunman carried me over his shoulder for what I could only determine was several feet until a pain shot through my back as I was slammed against a railing and I fell to the ground letting out a groan. This was followed by another pain to my chest as I was kicked in the chest.

"Oomph!" I groaned as I held my chest and slowly lifted my head up to see a gun barrel pointed at my head once again.

"You've been in the real pain in the ass…." The gunman said and I heard him panting heavily underneath his mask. "... But this time it really is the end of the line. No woman is going to save you this time." The Gunman went onto say. I grimaced as I was reminded once more of Katie's dead corpse lying two floors below us. She had come to my rescue even though she knew that she could have been killed. Katie was killed while trying to save me. I couldn't let myself be killed here by this gunman after what he had done.

"No way…." I murmured. I watched as the gunman wrapped his finger around the trigger, my mind raced. There had to be a way out of this, some way to try and turn the tables to my advantage. I had to do something…..

"Now then, the General sends you her regards..."

Cracks of gunfire filled the air and just then I saw the gunman stagger forward as several projectiles struck him in the back. Both the gunman and I looked back to see a line of flashing lights as police cars and SWAT Personal aimed their guns at the gunman, and hopefully not me. The gunman let out an enraged cry as he turned around aiming his MP7 and opened fire on the police cars. Bullets tore into the line of police cars with the sound of glass shattering heard even from over here. I saw the officers duck behind their police cars to avoid fire. The night soon was consumed by the sounds of gunfire as the police returned fire on the gunman. Bullets flew all around us as I could only try to crawl out of the way of their fire. The officers and the gunman returned fire at one another for what felt like a good thirty seconds before the gunman was eventually struck by several bullets as he staggered backwards. More SWAT Officers appeared from up the railing and soon even more guns were being fired upon him. The gunman still held out, however it wasn't long before even all of the heavy armor he was wearing wasn't enough…. The gunman staggered backwards towards me as more bullets him and when his back was against the wall, he was struck by higher caliber rounds and I watched as fell backwards over the railing. I blinked in amazement that one man had been able to sustain so much fire and also at the fact that the man who had been trying to kill me was now gone. Presumably killed by police gunfire and gone over the railing to fall to his death. I sat up and took a deep breath of the cold air as I watched the police lower their weapons and several officers came in my direction.

"Heh Saved by the Police…" I murmured to myself as a pair of officers rushed to my side. I sat there holding my stomach as the police officers came to my aid. Several more rushed over to the side of the railing to look over, to try and find the gunman who had went overboard. The two officers who came over to me kneeled down next to me and looked me over.

"Sir are you alright?" One of the officers asked.

"Eh Heh Evening Officers, I'm doing just peachy. Doing a bit better now that you're here." I said before letting out a cough, probably my body telling me to knock off the bad jokes.

"We're going to get you to the hospital to look over those injuries. Just hang in there Sir." The officer said and I felt as their arms went underneath my armpits and lifted me up off the ground.

"There was a girl… A few floors below…" I said. I grimaced as I was lifted up onto my feet. "The gunman killed her…" I muttered. I knew that I shouldn't say much, but at the very least I should get that out there.

"They'll be time for statements later Sir. Right now we need to take you to the hospital too look at that leg injury." The policeman said. Behind me I heard one of the officers exclaim. "I don't have a visual on the gunman, where'd he go?" So the gunman was gone and I was left alone in Police care. Well at least tonight was finally over….Or so I thought.

The rest of my night was spent in one of two places, neither one being places I'd want to spend a Night. The first being the emergency room of Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where I laid on my side on an operating table high on morphine as Doctors stitched together the bullet hole in my leg. The Doctor told me that I was lucky the bullet hadn't severed anything important and had only caused minor damage, on top of being lucky I didn't bleed out. He said that it would heal over time and the limp should go away in a few weeks, but other than that I was fine. However that being said also meant my stay at the hospital had come to its end as the police took me into "Protective Custody" as they called it, as I so far had been charged with no real crime. Not that I should be, considering I was the victim in this whole incident and was only defending myself! Suffice to say I spent the rest of this miserable night sitting in an interrogation room as the hours ticked by with only a coffee and my thoughts to occupy myself. I could only nurse my coffee, while my thoughts kept replaying the events that had transpired this night… Really I just kept seeing images of Katie's lifeless body lying in the parking garage with her brains splattered across the ground flashing inside my head. Katie had ended up losing her life for some guy she barely knew and I had been helpless to save her. "I told her she should have gone straight home, so why the hell did she have to follow me?"

Just as I was having these thoughts the door to the room swung open and my head shot up to see a woman holding a briefcase standing in the doorway. The woman in question was of an average build and height with long brown hair that went to her mid back, and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a black suit jacket with white collared shirt underneath, a pencil skirt, and a pair of leggings underneath with black heels.

"Elaina" I exclaimed as I leapt outta my seat to greet Chaldea's favorite lawyer. I myself wasn't a lawyer, but I knew enough not to say anything to the cops until my lawyer had arrived. I know it didn't make the police happy, but I knew my Constitutional rights damn it and I wasn't saying anything until she arrived. So we had all been patiently waiting for her to arrive that entire night.

"I'm not your Personal Lawyer you know!" Elaina replied as she pushed her glasses up with a disapproving look on her face.

"I know, but technically you are Chaldea's personal lawyer. So in a way, you kinda are!" I said amusingly which only earned me a heavy sigh from Elaina.

"Heh… I'm just glad that it was you that called me down here rather than the morgue." Elaina said as a small smile formed on her face. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Yeah I'm glad that is the case as well." I replied with a soft smile. "It's been one hell of a night." I added.

"That it has, I was watching the news reports on this shootout on the plane ride over here." said.

"Eh heh…. It's on the news already? I hope my name hasn't been mentioned?" I asked scratching the back of my head and Elaina shook her head in reply.

"No it wasn't and I'd like to keep it that way." Elaina said as she placed her briefcase down on the table. "Even though this was a case of self defense there's still some major legal hurdles we face, especially since a civilian was killed in this incident." Elaina said.

"I know! It hadn't been my intention to get her killed! She followed me to try and help, but she ended up getting herself taken hostage and eventually killed." I said gritting my teeth as my fingers curled into a fist as I grew angry at myself. Elaina watched my fingers curl into a fist and then uncurl as I calmed myself down.

"Well suffice to say the police aren't formally charging you with anything right now, but we're still going to be spending the rest of the night here until I get all the facts and we talk to the police." Elaina said. "I'm going to need you to tell me everything you can from the start of the shooting up to the very end." Elaina said and I nodded my head in understanding, this wasn't exactly the first time we had this conversation. "Afterwards the Director is going to want to talk to you." Elaina said.

"I figured as much…." I said as I let out a heavy sigh and plopped down into my chair…

The rest of the night was long and equally painful as the rest, as I had to sit for hours and recount the entire night to Elaina. Then we had to talk about the law and my legal options, which all the legal talk, hurt my head. Then I had to talk to the cops and tell them about the night while answering any questions they had with Elaina advising me. It wasn't what I would call a fun way to spend the rest of my night, however at least I wasn't out in the freezing cold getting shot at. After answering all the questions the police had they finally released me under Elaina's care. It was then that Elaina drove me to a Motel on the outskirts of town where I would be spending the rest of that night and probably following morning. I opened the door to our motel room and stepped inside with Elaina following behind me. The Motel room wasn't fancy, but it was better than they alleyways I had spent most of the night in. As I entered Elaina was telling me what was going to happen next.

"You won't be able to reclaim your gun until the Police make sure it wasn't used to shoot that innocent girl alongside of ballistic test." Elaina said as she shut the door behind her and I heard the lock shut into place.

"I better get that gun back; it's been in my family for as long as I can remember!" I said wagging my finger at Elaina as I turned around. "Not to mention that gun has saved my life more than I care to count, it's very important!" I empathized to Elaina.

"I'll be sure to do everything possible to make sure you get it back...Meanwhile your car is still also part of the active crime scene so you're going to have wait until later today once the crime scene has been properly documented." Elaina said as I walked over to the couch and plopped down, throwing my hands behind my head.

"Whatever I suppose, I'm just glad to be done with tonight." I said. "That asshole also shot up my car….. Do you think my Insurance will cover bullet holes?" I asked looking up at Elaina.

"I'm your Lawyer, not your Insurance agent…." Elaina replied with narrowed eyes and I let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm going to have to replace my window! That's not cheap you know!" I murmured under my breath.

"Well next time don't use your car for cover." Elaina replied.

"That's easy for you to say! I have to use what I could at the time!" I rebutted her.

"Well then next time don't accept a job to work at an Organization that constantly puts your life in danger." Elaina suggested.

"Very funny Elaina. You work for Chaldea too." I replied.

"Yes, but I'm a lawyer. The people I piss off are in court." Elaina replied and I sighed once again.

"Ugh…" I grunted.

"Speaking of Chaldea, I believe the Director wishes to speak to you now that we're done." Elaina said as she reached into her briefcase and pulled out my phone handing it to me. "There were also several calls from a Mashu….Kyrielight?" Elaina said reading off the name before turning the phone over to face me. There were three missed calls from Mashu on the front of my screen. I furrowed my eyebrows a little and frowned a bit.

"It's nothing to worry about, I'll see her tomorrow." I said as I reached up and took the phone from Elaina. "Calling the Director is more important." I said as I swiped right and unlocked my phone. I found the Director's contact's contact and tapped the call button before bringing it up to my ear. A few moments of ringing went by before the ear chewing I would receive happened…

"Christopher I'm glad you finally have the time to call me." Olga said after she finally picked up the phone.

"I called you as soon as I could Ma'am, I had a bit…. of an incident tonight per say." I said cautiously mincing my words even though I knew it didn't matter in the end for the Director already knew.

"Yes you had quite an incident tonight Operative, didn't you?" Olga said as I heard her finger tapping against her desk. "In fact I'm watching the fallout of your incident all over the News as we speak." Olga said in a calm voice.

"Y-Yes Director. I'm afraid there was an incident and I'm afraid I was caught up in the middle of it." I replied...

"Yes quite the incident indeed…..A SHOOTOUT IN DOWNTOWN PHILADELPHIA OPERATIVE!? REALLY?" Olga screamed into my ear as I lowered the phone from my ear. "Operative do you know how infuriated I am right now?" Olga went onto ask.

"I can imagine Ma'am." I replied as I gulped. "But let me just say that I was almost killed and the shootout did not happen until I got to my car, and it was in self defense." I added as I attempted to defend myself.

"Oh I'm quite well aware of the details. Elaina filled me in on all of the details." Olga replied and I looked up at Elaina who looked back at me with the "Don't give me that look" expression on her face. "A Civilian got killed in the process and that's not good attention, Chaldea could be exposed if we are not careful about how we handle this." Olga went onto scold me.

"Yes Ma'am and I deeply regret that there was a Civilian casualty." I said regretfully. "She was a woman who offered me help when I was shot, and she decided ended up getting captured and used as a hostage by the gunman against me, but the gunman had no intention of letting either one of us leave alive, so she was killed. I didn't have my gun or magical energy to save her I'm afraid…." I explained as the image of Katie getting shot flashed in my head again and I frowned.

"I see, an unfortunate tragedy indeed." Olga said, her voice showing some signs of sadness. "You should however been more careful not to get civilians involved, even if that meant knocking her out to keep her safe." Olga said.

"I don't think I could have knocked her out in my condition Ma'am, I could barely walk let alone defend myself at that time. I did all I could to make it clear that she needed to go home." I explained and there was a grumble from the other side of the phone.

"I see…. I'll see about sending money to her family as a sign of appreciation that her daughter helped one of my employees and show our regret for her loss." Olga said and I furrowed my eyebrows a little, I don't think any amount of money would ever be able make up for the loss of a daughter. "More importantly, what in gods name WERE YOU DOING OPERATIVE? What were you doing away from home? Who was trying to kill you? Have you been getting into some shady business on the side Operative?!" Olga demanded answers.

"NO MA'AM!" I exclaimed a tad bit irritated to be accused of illegal activities, when it was the Director's own General who was committing shady business while I was trying to stop her! However I don't think I should tell the Director about that quite yet… I needed to go over the documents and information Rin had given me when I got home. "I stay home and keep my head down, however just this one time I wanted to go and meet up with a friend of mine. I'm allowed to have a life outside of work yes?" I inquired.

"What you do in your free time is none of my concern, except for when you put the Organization at risk. You're free to visit friends and family as you choose, but visiting friends and family usually don't end up in a city wide chase and shootout!" Olga exclaimed. "Now who exactly was trying to kill you?!" Olga demanded once more. I thought a moment on how best to reply before opening my mouth to reply.

"Well Ma'am it was a masked gunman so I didn't see who it was, but he was heavily armored and skilled. I think perhaps the person behind the Singularities sent them to kill me." I said. Technically I wasn't lying; the person who sent them really was behind the singularities. I just didn't say who was behind the Singularities, that would have to come later.

"Are you positive about that Operative?" Olga asked.

"Yes Ma'am. One hundred percent positive." I replied and there was a moment's pause.

"Hmmm I see, so the people behind all of this finally took notice after we've foiled two of their singularities, so they sent someone to kill the master to try and stop us. It makes sense, but you said you couldn't identify them." Olga said as she seemed to be drifting off into thought.

"No Ma'am I couldn't, but they specifically said that my meddling in the past was going to come to an end now. So that would only mean they meant the Singularities." I said. Well that was a lie actually, but I needed to build up my case against the General before I accused her.

"Yes that would be the case, wouldn't it?" Olga said before going quiet for a few moments. "Now that begs the question why the hell didn't you bring one of your servants with you?! You knew that people would be trying to kill us to prevent us from stopping them, so why did you not bring either Mashu or Lancer?!" Olga demanded furiously.

"I k-know Ma'am!" I exclaimed as I reached up and scratched my head trying to think what to say. "I just thought that I'd be safe visiting and old friend and wouldn't need to bring Lancer or Mashu along." I said.

"Well that obviously turned out to not be true now didn't it?" Olga asked in scolding tone. "From now on you are to bring your servant with you wherever you go. I want you to head home tomorrow and stay there with your servants." Olga ordered me.

"You don't need to tell me that Ma'am. I'm going straight home and staying put." I replied.

"Good. You're to stay there until you recover and then I want you to come back to Chaldea until further notice. You'll be safe here." Olga said.

"Y-Yes Ma'am. I understand, once I recover we'll come back to Chaldea." I said not exactly pleased at the thought of being stuck at Chaldea for months instead of weeks.

"Now if there's nothing else I'll be in touch with you soon…." Olga said, but before she hung up I stopped her.

"Director there is something I would like to discuss with you in private when I get back." I said. "It's not something I can talk about securely over the Telephone line." I added.

"Understood Operative, I'll talk to you when you return to base. Goodbye and stay safe this time idiot." Olga said just before hanging up and I heard the beeping sound letting me know she had hung up. I brought my phone down from my ear and looked through my missed calls one more time before locking my phone and putting it back into my pocket. I could talk to Mashu when I got back, I didn't feel like talking to her right now.

"Well then I suggest you get some rest Christopher, you'll need it for the ride home tomorrow." Elaina said, sounding more like she was ordering me to get some rest rather than recommending it. I nodded my head deciding it best that I take that order, my body ached all over and I was completely exhausted.

"And what are you going to be doing Elaina?" I asked looking up at her.

"I'll be keeping you company to make sure you're safe." Elaina replied. "I've also got to start working on all the paperwork and putting together the case. You might get to go home, but I have to stay behind and clean up your mess." Elaina said as she put her hands on her hips and looked at me unamused.

"Well that's why you get paid the big bucks." I said chuckling.

"Just go to sleep before I put you to sleep myself." Elaina said and I couldn't help but chuckle some more, even Elaina started to chuckle as a soft smile formed on her lips. Just then there was a loud knock on the door and everything went silent…

"Shit who is that?" I murmured.

"I don't know. Nobody should know that you're here." Elaina said.

"It couldn't possibly be the gunman…" I murmured.

"I don't know, but stay put and don't move." Elaina ordered me.

"Don't be ridiculous I can't stay put if it really is him, that guy will kill us both." I said shaking my head as I tried to push myself up groaning. I was pushed back down to the couch by Elaina as she stood over me.

"I said stay put, I'll handle this." Elaina said as her hand went up her jacket lifting it slightly. I saw her hand rise up and rest on a black polymer pistol that she slowly pulled out of a holster on her hip. I looked at her pistol and then back up at her, Elaina rose her finger up to her mouth signaling me to be quiet. I hesitantly nodded my head and watched as she turned around before making her way over to the door. I watched on as she made it across the room without making a noise before finally reaching the door. As she did there was another loud knock on the door. I watched on nervously as Elaina's hand slowly pulled back the latch on the door before going for the doorknob. Every second that passed by I felt more swept roll down my brow. Elaina's hand grasped the doorknob and slowly turned it downwards, and then the creak of the door slowly opening filled the room along with a cold chill shooting through the room. Elaina stayed behind the door with her pistol raised in one hand and the other on the door as she pulled it open. And then when it was open enough Elaina turned around the corner with her gun pointed at the person in front of the door. Before I Elaina did anything drastic I saw the familiar red coat and flowing black hair with amber colored eyes. I almost leaped up from the coach in response….

"Wait don't shoot her!" I exclaimed raising out my hand. Elaina looked back at me and then back at Rin Tohsaka in front of the door with a surprised look on her face. "D-don't shoot her, she's not an enemy. She's a friend." I added as I stumbled to get up while holding my waist.

"A-Are you sure Christopher?" Elaina asked looking back at me.

"Yes I'm sure. That's Rin Tohsaka, my friend. Just let her in and put the gun down." I said.

"Ms. Tohsaka. That's a name I've heard before, and knowing that name I know Ms. Tohsaka is not a gunman for hire." Elaina said as she lowered her gun and locked in back into her holster before pulling the door open all the way.

"No I don't think she's even picked up a gun in her life, let alone shot one." I said as I stood up and winced a little at the still lingering pain.

"Very funny. At least I don't go getting shot every other day." Rin replied in her snarky manner. Rin stepped inside with the door closing behind her with the locks closing shut once more before Elaina walked over to us.

"Funny as usual Ms. Tohsaka." I said.

"I said to stop calling me that, just call me Rin." Rin exclaimed.

"Right sorry Rin…. But is that how you greet all your friends who have just been shot?" I asked as I fell back down on the couch, my face making a twisted expression at the pain still lingering.

"I don't have many friends who get shot." Rin replied.

"That's true I suppose." I said as I turned over in the couch and lay back against the pillow of the sofa.

"You should consider yourself lucky. I dropped everything and even missed my plane home just to rush and find you as soon as I saw the reports of the shooting on all the airport televisions." Rin said and I let out a painful laugh.

"Ha Ha Ha you were concerned about me Rin?" I asked looking up at her. Rin narrowed her eyes at me and crossed her arms.

"Of course I was idiot. If you went and died after everything we talked about, logically I would be next obviously." Rin muttered with an embarrassed expression on her face.

"Ah I see how it was; you were actually only worried about yourself." I said chuckling.

"Idiot, how can you still make such crappy jokes after all you just went through?" Rin scolded me.

"If I didn't make crappy jokes I'd have to be sad and depressed instead." I replied jokingly. Rin narrowed her eyes judgingly and I chuckled in response as I shifted my gaze forward and got comfy. "Anyway how did you find me?" I asked looking back up at her.

"Oh I have my ways." Rin replied with a devious grin.

"I don't know if I should be disturbed by that or not…" I said as I crossed my arms across my chest. "So what do you want Rin?" I asked. Rin furrowed her eyebrows in response and crossed her arms at me with an irritated look on her face.

"What do you mean: What do I want?" Rin asked her voice filled with annoyance and I felt a burning sensation as I was smacked upside the head and I looked up at her in irritation. "I'm making sure you're alright, you Idiot!" Rin exclaimed and I was taken aback to see Rin's eyes filled with concern.

"O-Oh!" I said and looked back down as I rubbed the spot on my head where Rin had hit me. "I'm fine as you can see. Just a few bullet holes here and there." I said and there was a low grumble from Rin as she showed her annoyance at my response.

"I already figured that much already, what I'm really asking you is how you're feeling right now?" Rin inquired and her tone softened a little bit.

"Well I'm not dead, but I sure am exhausted after spending all night running about the city." I said and looked up at Elaina. "Elaina could you please get me some water, I'm afraid I still feel a little dehydrated, stale police station coffee didn't do very much to hydrate me." I said and Elaina nodded her head.

"Having had my share of police station coffee, I concur. I'll go get you some water." Elaina said and walked off into the kitchen. I watched Elaina disappear before turning to Rin, Rin kneeled down next to me and looked me in the eyes seriously.

"You don't really look alright so tell me. So tell me what's wrong?" Rin asked again and I frowned.

"There was a woman….. A beautiful young lady who had assisted me after I had been shot and she ended up getting killed because of me." I answered her truthfully in a somber tone.

"I-I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure you did all you could." Rin said sympathetically.

"Yeah, these things happen unfortunately." I said somberly. There was a moment's pause before Rin spoke up again.

"So tell me, it was someone sent by Amara wasn't it?" Rin said as she narrowed her eyes.

"Y-Yeah I can't say for certain, but I think it was one of the soldiers under Amara." I said sitting up. "He said right before he was going to shoot me. "The General sends her regards."" I added and Rin cupped her chin.

"It's a little suspicious that he would be so open about who sent him….." Rin said as she sat there in thought for a few moments.

"They probably knew that I already knew so why bother hiding it?" I asked in response. "I mean it's not like I could tell anyone

"Yeah… You're probably right…" Rin murmured as she waved her hand in the air to dismiss whatever thoughts she was having.

"Here's your water." Elaina said as she stepped in front of me and placed the water down on the coffee table in front of me. I looked up at her and gave a warm smile in return.

"Thanks Elaina." I said.

"You're welcome." Elaina replied. "Now I'm going to go start on the legal work, I suggest you get some rest. So I'll leave him in your care Ms. Tohsaka." Elaina said and Rin nodded her head in response.

"I'll keep him company." Rin replied. With that said Elaina picked up her briefcase and brought it over to a nearby desk where she sat down and began her work. My gaze returned to Rin whose gaze met with mine.

"Well we now know that we're onto them, so you need to tread carefully now." Rin said. "Have you thought about sharing our information with Elaina? She might be able to help you." Rin suggested and I rubbed my cheek.

"It's worth considering, but for now I still think I need to go over it." I said. "However Elaina is just a lawyer for Chaldea, she has little power in the Organization is on a need to know only basis." I said and Rin let out a sigh.

"I suppose you're right." Rin said. "Anyway, how about you tell me about those missions you said you'd tell me about at a later time, now that we have time." Rin said and I closed my eyes and crossed my arms. "Hey don't ignore me!" Rin murmured and there was a burning sensation as I felt her pull on my cheeks causing me to frown. I swatted her hand away in response.

"Fine I guess I can tell you now that we have all the time in the world." I said as I opened my eyes and Rin smiled now that she had gotten her way. "It's better than being stuck out in the cold getting shot at anyway." I muttered.

"Would you stop complaining already and tell me what happened!" Rin said as she reached behind her and pulled a comfy seat forward for her to sit down in. Rin leaned forward in her chair practically in my face now.

"Alright, Alright! Just keep your voice down will ya?" I said. "If Elaina hears me telling an outsider classified mission material, getting shot at will be the least of my problems." I added and Rin nodded her head as she listened attentively. "So then this was roughly three years back as I stated early. We, meaning Chaldea, had started having problems with thefts at our warehouses. So my Commanding officer assigned several people, my partner and I being some of those people, with the mission of investigating these thefts and putting an end to them….."

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	12. Chapter Twelve Alaskan Heist

**Chapter Twelve**

**The Alaskan Heist**

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Lying somewhere deep in the lush forests of Alaska, sat an all white building that blended in with the Alaskan blizzard currently raging. Nothing particularly interesting stood about said building, it was an ordinary looking building made out of white concrete with ordinary looking doors and small window slits not large enough for man nor woman to squeeze through. A boundary fence surrounded the property and upon close examination one could see the sparks occasionally jump from the bristling barb wire. The building was accompanied by a paved parking lot and small helipad used to ship in cargo. To the naked eye it look like an ordinary quiet building out in the middle of nowhere, albeit a bit strange, but nonetheless ordinary. While the building itself was nothing out of the ordinary, what it housed inside was far from ordinary however….

Reaching up, my fingers gripped the siding of the roof as I slowly pulled myself up the wall. All the while the below zero temperatures were nipping away at my face and frost was quite literally forming on my glasses. Even as I rested my elbow on the roof, I struggled to pull the rest of my body up, and it was then when I saw a gloved hand appear in front of my face as I looked forward. I looked up to see a smiling face of a young man looking down at me.

"Looks like you could use a hand brother." The man who was my brother said whilst somehow smiling in below freezing temperatures. I looked back down at his hand and reached out with my right hand grasping my brother's hand. A grunt escaped from my mouth as my brother pulled me up to my feet on top of the roof.

"Thank you Alex." I said as I pushed my glasses back up onto my nose before proceeding to dust the snow off of my jacket.

"No problem. Now let's get inside before my feet freeze to the ground." Alex aid as he rubbed his shoulders.

"I agree, but let's proceed with caution." I said nodding my head. "Breaching the perimeter was the easy part" I said as I walked past my brother and approached the skylights that looked down into the room below.

"You're always so serious Oliver." Alex said as I heard his footsteps approach from behind. "The client gave us the plans to this place so everything should go smooth so long as we stick to the plan." Alex said and paused for a moment. "However I suppose it pays to be cautious." Alex added as he knelt down next to me and peered through the skylight.

"What's being kept here is enough for security to shoot first and ask questions later. So of course it pays to be cautious." I said somewhat scolding my brother.

"Yeah, Yeah. You don't need to harp on me; I went over the plan at least a dozen times. I know what we're doing." Alex replied. "Everything's gonna be fine, your plans always go off without a hitch remember?" Alex said as he patted me on back before standing up and going around to the other side of the skylight.

"Yeah..."

I descended down the rope until my feet eventually touched down on the solid ground below; as soon as my feet touched the ground I looked around the room as my eyes slowly adjusted to the dark. Upon determining the coast was clear I gave the rope a tug, and a few moments passed by before my brother's silhouette descended down the rope and landed right next to me.

"See, I told you I could bypass the lock without setting off any alarms." Alex said with a grin on his face.

"I never doubted you couldn't in the first place." I replied.

"Uh huh." Alex replied. I looked up at the open skylight and firmly grasped the rope, giving it another strong tug where as the grapple came loose where it fell back down into my hand. Catching the grapple in my hand I secured the rope and grapple onto my waist for further use. All that was left now was to cover our tracks; I pulled on the secondary rope until I heard a click letting me know the skylight had locked back into place. With one final tug the loose rope came undone and fell to the ground at my feet where I picked it up and threw it into one of the dark corners of the room out of sight as it was no longer needed. I returned my attention back to my brother who was scanning the room cautiously.

"I don't see any signs of security, it seems pretty light." Alex said as his gaze returned back to me. "A little too light if I must say so myself, I was expecting like automated turrets or laser tripwires." Alex added.

"This is only the first floor, there are only few guards up front near the entrance." I said motioning my head towards the door leading towards the other room. "The real security is when we start going down." I said as I pointed at the ground.

"Yeah I know, too bad what we're looking for isn't in one of these boxes." Alex said with a nod of his head to the boxes and crates stacked in the middle of the room behind us.

"That would certainly make our job easy, however they wouldn't be paying us what they are if that was the case." I replied. "Now come on the next guard patrol coming through here should be happening any minute now." I said and my brother nodded his head.

With that the two of us rushed into the adjacent room stopping short of running straight into the middle of the room. My gaze scanned the room and saw much of the same that had been in the previous room. Boxes were stacked upon six shelves that lined the room. However what stood out in this room were the camera's adjacent of each other across the room. Each camera watched one side of the room so it was gonna be tricky trying to get past them. Luckily the shelves and boxes would work in our favor as they would block out the camera on the other side of the room. That still meant we had to deal with the camera facing the other direction, but it should be easy enough to slip past it. I turned to my brother and pointed towards the camera in the corner and he turned to face it before looking back at me with the nod of his head. With that my brother and I stood there for a moment peeking around the corner as we awaited and watched the camera do its sweep of the room. The seconds ticked by as we sat there and waited for the camera to turn, and as soon as the camera lens left our sight we rushed out from around the corner. I heard my brother's footsteps right behind me as I darted along the wall into the corner out of the camera's vision. As soon as I was in the safety of the corner I turned to see my brother crouching down right behind me. Or I should say I saw the outline of him and vaguely his face, since the both of us were dressed in all black gear.

"So what's the plan now Oliver, once the camera above us turns to face the direction we just came from we'll have to contend with the other camera once we move further down the room." Alex pointed out. I already knew that, but it was a valid point out nonetheless.

"Okay, the door to the elevator is on the other side of the room." I said pointing towards them. "But as I'm sure you recall from the plans there's a security room watching the entrance to the elevator and anyone who wants to go down that elevator is gonna need credentials and be subjected to a full scan." I said and my brother nodded his head.

"We'll they certainly aren't going to be letting a shady pair like us through, we don't fit the uptight professional look." Alex said with a chuckle. "Not to mention the turrets in that room would turn us into mince meat." Alex pointed out.

"Obviously." I said apathetic at the thought. "No we're not going to go through that way, and we can't break into the security room and take out the security, because the patrolling guard would find the body before we get what we came for." I said. "And as much as I hate to say it, I don't think that we'll be in and out fast enough before the guard woke up. So we can't take that risk." I added and my brother nodded in agreement.

"So we're going to go around right?" Alex added.

"Yes we're going to around, if you remember there's a ventilation shaft that leads around the security into the elevator shaft." I said pointing up ahead into the corner. "We should be able to squeeze through…" I added.

"What do you mean should be able to?" Alex inquired with a raised brow.

"Well unless of course you gained some weight that is." I said with a small smirk.

"Ha Ha very funny." Alex replied.

"Come on, let's get going." I said looking up at the camera above us. During the time we had been talking it had returned to facing the direction we needed to go. "Once the camera finishes its sweep and faces the other direction we make a break for it." I said as I looked back down at my brother who nodded his head in understanding. We sat there watching the camera slowly turn on its axis as the seconds ticked by….. The second the camera's field of vision finally left the area we needed to go, my brother and I sprinted out from the corner and scurried across the room along the shelf. It only took a few seconds before we had reached the end of the shelves and come to a stop. I peered out from behind the shelves to see the camera facing our direction, I pulled my back and looked to the corner where the air vent was supposed to be. In the place of where the vent was supposed to be stood a wooden crate. That would complicate things a little bit. I looked back over my shoulder to see the camera behind us slowly turning to face our way. Then I looked back at my brother who I could vaguely make out his eyes staring at me waiting for our next move. "There's a crate blocking the air vent."

"So what are we going to do?" Alex asked.

"The plans unchanged, but we're going to have to time this perfectly." I said in a calm manner. "We'll only have a split second before the camera's cone of vision is on us. In the split second that both cameras are facing away from the corner we need to make a dash for the corner. Once we get in the corner we need to start pushing the box out of the way and get inside the vent before the other camera turns towards the vent again." I relayed to my brother clearly.

"Got it." Alex said with a nod of his head.

"You watch the camera behind us and I'll watch this other camera." I said jerking my thumb back to the camera watching the vent. "The second the camera's vision leaves is away from us, I'm going to give you a pat on the shoulder. When that happens make a break for behind the box." I said and my brother once again nodded his head in acknowledgement. "The box and the shelves should keep us hidden from the camera behind us." I added as I placed my hand on my brother's shoulder. With that said we both proceeded to watch our respective cameras. I peered around the corner to see the camera already half way through its sweep of the area. I watched patiently as I waited for the camera to turn away from us. The seconds ticked by as I watched and I felt as a sweat drop rolled down my forehead before continuing on it's downward journey to Earth….. And then in that split second the camera was no longer facing us. I vigorously patted my brother on the shoulder before I brought myself forward out of cover and dashed straight for the corner. My feet carried me as fast they could and before I knew it I was at the corner. I ducked behind the box and turned around to face my brother who was right behind me, as my brother drew closer I reached out and pulled him into cover behind me. Wasting no time, I placed my shoulder against the box and the two of us started pushing the box forward inch by inch. It didn't take long before we pushed the box out of the way and revealed the air vent that had been hiding behind it. I gripped the bars on the vent cover and pulled on it. Much to my surprise it didn't budge and I looked down to see the air vent was bolted in place. I guess I shouldn't really be surprised though.

"Alex quick I need a screwdriver." I ordered as I turned to face my brother. My brother nodded his head and reached into his bag searching for what I had requested. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the camera beginning to turn this way. I held out my hand impatient and it was a second or two before Alex placed the screwdriver in my open palm. I quickly got to work as I reached down and begun to unscrew the screws keeping the cover in place. We didn't have much time before the camera was facing our way, so I needed to make this quick. Just as I finished that thought I had unscrewed the first screw and was already moving onto the second one. I twisted the screwdriver as fast as I could all the while I felt sweat rolling off my brows.

"Brother the camera…." Alex exclaimed before I cut him off with a raised hand.

"Yeah I know…. Just a second." I murmured. The clock was ticking as I moved onto the third screw and finally the fourth to last screw. As the sweat dripped off of my face the final screw plopped out and onto the ground. With that I gripped the bars of the vent for a second time and pulled on it. This time the vent pulled upwards revealing the dark and cramped ventilation shaft. "Got it, now come on and get inside!" I said as I stepped to the side. Alex brushed past me as he hurried inside with me bringing up the rear as I followed closely behind him. Once inside I spun around and pulled down the cover to the ventilation shaft just as I saw the camera turn to face our direction. We had barely gotten in on time; if we had taken even a second longer we would have been caught. With that challenge behind us I turned around and followed my brother further into the belly of the beast…

The vent was dark and cramped with only enough room for an average height female to crouch walk through it. Unfortunately for my brother neither one of us were average female height so we had to crawl on all fours through the metal vent. I followed behind my brother who was leading us through, with his headlamp illuminating the way forward. There wasn't much to be said as we crawled through the vent so I only followed him silently; eventually we reached a turn in the road. We rounded the corner and from what I could see it was a straight path forward until the next turn. Upon rounding the corner I was hit by a cool breeze from behind and I looked over my shoulder to see a fan blowing behind us. I cursed under my breath and gritted my teeth as I continued forward. "We were already in Alaska. I don't know why they had the fans running when it was already 30 below outside." I thought to myself as I continued crawling forward. It didn't help that the walls and floors of the vent were made out of metal so it was my hands and knees were getting frostbite. Eventually we reached the end of the corridor and turned left, as we rounded the corner we were greeted by a dim light at the end of the shaft. No doubt leading us out into the elevator shaft and out of this freezing cramped vent. Reaching the end of the shaft my brother spun his body around before putting his foot up to the vent cover. Alex gave the vent several heavy kicks before it came off of its screws and flew off. Alex climbed out of the vent and I followed soon afterwards. We came out onto a catwalk that lined the circular elevator shaft, the elevator sat still on this floor held up by the cables that were above. There was minimum lighting in the elevator shaft, but I guess that was better than no lighting at all.

"Looks like the blueprints we were given were accurate, this did lead into the elevator shaft." I said as I looked around. Just then I heard a whistle and I looked to my side to see my brother looking over the railings.

"That's quite the drop…." Alex said as he finished his whistling whilst looking down the elevator shaft.

"Just don't slip and you'll be fine." I said as I gave my brother a heavy pat on the back which gave him quite the scare as he tightly gripped railing. I turned around with a chuckle and reached out and grasped the ladder on the side of the elevator beginning to climb upwards.

"That's not funny; I really could have fell over the edge!" Alex exclaimed from behind.

"If you had, you would have been fine. Your thick skull would have cushioned the fall." I said with a chuckle. Just then as I was climbing up the ladder I felt my foot slip and my body slammed against the elevator with an oof. I dangled from the side of the ladder for a moment before regaining my footing.

"HA, that's karma for what you said brother." Alex exclaimed from behind.

"Don't be ridiculous, I just lost my footing that's all…" I murmured and continued my ascent up the ladder. "That was a little too close, had I lost my grip this mission might be over before it even began." I thought to myself. Eventually I reached the top of the elevator and carefully made my way around the cables over to the hatch. Behind me I heard my brother's footsteps as he climbed on top behind me. Whilst my brother made his way over to where I was, I reached down grasping the latch to the hatch and pulled down on it. With the latch pulled back, the hatch fell inwards. I peered inside the elevator to make sure the coast was clear before I dropped down. Once inside I observed my surroundings, the entire elevator was painted white with lights illuminating the inside of the cabin. The doors to the elevator were clear glass with a fancy LCD panel off to the side. I heard my brother drop down behind me and was then followed by a whistle.

"This elevator itself looks cleaner than most hospitals I've been too." Alex said as his eyes wandered around the elevator.

"When have you ever been to a hospital in the first place?" I asked looking over my shoulder at him inquisitively.

"All I'm saying is there sure like their cleanliness don't they? And I'll have you know I have been to one a few times." Alex replied and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Some chemical needs here and there along with the occasional outfits needed." Alex added.

"I don't even want to know…" I said as I returned my gaze forward. I made my over towards the LCD panel where a logo rotated on the screen. It disappeared once I tapped on the screen and was replaced by a keypad.

"Hey where else am I supposed to get some of the chemicals we need for our jobs!" Alex exclaimed.

"I said I don't want to know." I said with a raise of my hand cutting him off. I was searching through my bag for the code I was given. After a few moments I found what I was looking for, a small black book containing all my notes from over the years. It was then when I felt prying eyes looking over my shoulder.

"Are you sure these codes they gave us are going to even work?" Alex inquired before I could react. I glanced over my shoulder at him and then back at my notebook, where I proceeded to open it and flip through the pages.

"I don't see why not, so far everything they've given us has been accurate." I said as I finally flipped to the page containing the code to the elevator. I looked up at the keypad and proceeded to start punching the code into the keypad on the LCD.

"I'm just saying, this is one of the biggest jobs we've ever undertaken. It's just a little odd that our contractor has all of this inside information." Alex pointed out. "On top of the fact that this is the Mage Association's attack dog that we're dealing with, they aren't exactly the type who fucks around when it comes to the cutting edge technology." Alex added.

"It's not our job to question the contractor, just to do what they asked us to do. If they give us help I'm not one to say No, but if they don't we'll still do the job without it. Had they not given us this elevator code we would have just repelled down the elevator." I said just as I finished punching in the last digit on the screen. The screen turned green with a check mark letting me know the code was correct and I proceeded to tap the lower levels option on the screen. "See you're just being paranoid Brother." I said turning back to face him. A silent buzzing filled our ears as the elevator shifted down and began its descent.

"If you say so…." Alex murmured with the cross of his arms as the elevator descended…

A few minutes had passed as we rode the elevator to the bottom. I stood in the back of the elevator going over the floor plans in my head one more time; my thoughts were suddenly interrupted however by a gasp. My brother rushed to press his face against the glass as the elevator came out into the open of a massive white and grey room. What was laid before us was a room the size of a warehouse that stretched back at least half a football field. Aisles upon aisle of shelves lined the room, each one of them filled with boxes containing artifacts or magical items that would make a school girl at the Mage's Association scream with glee. Even up here one could also make the patrolling security guards by the lights beaming from their flashlights, and that was only the security visible to the naked eye. That didn't account for the cameras, turrets, lasers, and whatever magic had been set up.

"Man this place is even more massive than I imagined…." Alex murmured. "And we have to try and find something in that maze?" Alex added.

"What we came here for won't be out on the shelves, it will be locked behind one of the many vaults." I said as I crossed my arms unfazed by our daunting task.

"Yeah, but that still won't make it any easier…." Alex said. "Which is why it will be all the more exciting to break into one of their vaults and take one of their prized artifacts right from under their noses." Alex said with an amused grin as he looked back at me. My brother wasn't fazed by our task either, but I think he got a thrill out of these things. "But I worry that one of these days that excitement will get the better out of him…." I thought to myself as I gazed out across the room at the large black symbol opposing us….

The elevator began to slow its descent as we had finally reached the end of our journey. Here on out things would get more difficult, but so long as we stuck to the plan we should be out of here in under an hour. Then again not everything went to plan so we had to be prepared for that. I pulled back my sleeve to look at my watch to check the time, we were ten minutes into the operation. I looked up at my brother as he looked up from his watch and nodded his head as I backed up into the corner and looked upwards to see the inner elevator shaft slowly passing by as the elevator slowed down. I reached up and grasped the bars to the elevator hatch and pulled myself up bar by bar until I reached the top and was pulling myself up on top of the elevator. I turned around in my place to see my brother climbing up behind me. I offered him my hand; he looked up at me and accepted my helping hand. I pulled him up on top of the elevator and proceeded to then pull the hatch up and I pulled the latch back thus locking the hatch into place. My brother and I then sat there crouched as we tried to maintain our balance on top of the descending elevator until it finally came to a stand still. We sat there motionless for a few seconds before we heard a ding and the sound of the elevator doors sliding open.

"Huh?" The noise of someone making a confused sound was heard and then followed up by the sound of footsteps below us. "There's no one inside? That's odd." A Male voice said.

"Must have been a glitch in the system, log it and let's move on." Another male voice said.

"Right… That's odd though..." The first male voice said. A few moments passed by before the sounds of footsteps was heard and gradually got farther away until we could no longer hear them anymore. My brother and I climbed down the elevator until our feet touched down on the catwalk below us. I looked around until my eyes landed on another ventilation vent and I walked over to it where I crouched down. Once down on my knees I peered through the vents to see what was happening on the other side of the wall. The answer was: Not much. There was not much activity outside of the elevator, with the exception of two guards who had their back to the elevator looking out over the floor of the warehouse. "Not very smart if you ask me, to have your back to the one entry point into here. However I was not one to let others stupidity go to waste." I thought to myself. It was only a few moments before I had the vent cover off, and I lifted it carefully up and crouch walked forward with it in hand until I was out of the vent and once out I turned around to put it off to the side of the vent entrance. With that taken care of I ducked behind a crate looking around my surroundings. The area the elevator exited out into was a small room that opened out into the warehouse, the room itself was painted grey with a few lights illuminating it. There was an unattended desk and some sofas lined the walls with plants, it seemed like a reception area or lounge. Behind me I heard my brother exit the vent and it only took a moment before he was right next to me surveying the surroundings like I was. I ducked back behind the box and Alex followed suit right after as we prepared to make our move. My brother's brown eyes looking at me as he waited for my instructions.

"Okay there's two guards blocking our only way forward. So it looks like we'll have to take them out. We'll take them at the same time." I said and my brother nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Understood." Alex replied. With both of us in understanding we crept out from behind the box and slowly made our way across the room moving from cover to cover until we finally were upon the two unsuspecting guards. I looked over to my brother and I signaled him with a nod of my head. My brother nodded his head in return and I faced forward at the guard in front of me. I stood up and looked at the back of the guards head before I wrapped my arms around the guard's mouth and neck putting him in a chokehold. The guard instinctively placed his hands on my arm and tried to pull my arms off of him. I pulled back on him and dragged him into the room behind me. The guard continues to struggle as his hand went behind his head and tried to grasp at me, but it was all to no avail as their strength faded and his body went limp in my arms. I pulled him back further into the room until my back hit the wall and I let go of the body letting it fall down behind the same crates we had used as cover moments earlier. Upon making sure the body was out of sight I stepped over the unconscious guard and made my way over to my brother, along the way there I spotted a pair of light switches and flipped down passing by, throwing the room into darkness. I made my way over to my brother who was dragging his unconscious guard back into the darkness. As I approached my brother he turned and looked at me.

"Have any problems?" I asked.

"No she went down pretty easy." Alex said as he turned the knocked out woman over and showed her to me. The woman had dark brown hair that was up in a ponytail and an average build. She was wearing a white uniform with black skirt and matching leggings and knee high black boots. "She's got a pretty nice rack on her don't ya think?" Alex said as he squeezed her modest sized breast with a sly smirk.

"D-Don't sexually harass a woman who you just knocked out! Put her down!" I exclaimed.

"Alright, Alright. I'll put her down." Alex said with a sigh as he let her go and her body hit the ground with a thud. "Not like the people who work here really deserve to be shown any respect." Alex then murmured under his breath.

"Tch that doesn't matter. It's improper to do that to a lady and you can't claim to be better than them when you go and do things like that!" I said in a hushed tone as I threw up my hand.

"I've never claimed to be better than them, but fine whatever you say brother I won't go sexually harassing any more girls tonight." Alex said. "Anyway look at this, this chick was an officer so she's got some pretty high level clearance on her." Alex said as he waved her ID card in front of my face. "Tch even though my brother was a pervert, at least he was useful…." I thought to myself annoyed as I scratched my head in frustration.

"Hmm that should prove useful." I said as I brought my hand down and rubbed my chin. "Hold onto that, it should prove of use to you in your part of the mission." I said and my brother nodded his head slipping the ID card into his vest pocket. "Speaking of which this is where you and I will be splitting up, you know the plan. I'll head to the security station while you try and find Vault Hades. Once you find the vault hopefully I'll be inside the security center by then and I can bring down the security measures and open the vault." I said.

"Got it." Alex said with a nod of his head. My brother turned around and was about to head off before I stopped him. I looked over his shoulder at me in surprise.

"Be careful alright?" I said. My brother only smirked and nodded his head.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm always careful." Alex said and I let go of his arm and he ran off down the catwalk. "I'll see you at the rendezvous point!" Alex said with a wave of his hand over his shoulder.

"See you there." I murmured under my breath as I watched him run off…

It had been a few minutes now since my brother and I had split ways. While my brother made his way through the maze that was the warehouse floor, I had made my way along the upper cat walks and was now making my way towards the security station. A pair of guards passed me as I hid in the shadows of a cutaway section of the wall where two vending machines were placed. I peered out from behind the vending machines and watched as the two guards disappeared around a corner. The guards had only gotten more beefier the further in I went, most of the guards I had seen from this point onward were packing heavy weapons and armor. So taking them out was out of the question, unless of course I wanted to alert the whole place. It was also for the best if we went through here without as little conflict as possible, that way there would be less evidence of us ever being here in the first place. I looked up the hall to make sure the coast was clear before I emerged from the cutout in the wall. I scurried down the hall hugging the wall whilst crouching; all the while doing my best to muffle the sound of my footsteps so I was not heard. I made my way down the hallway cautiously until I came upon a doorway and peered inside, there was nothing worth of note inside the room, and it was just an empty conference room. "However finding a conference room was a good sign, it meant I was heading in the right direction towards where the security center might be." I thought. So with that in mind I continued down the hall keeping to the shadows until I eventually came to the end. Once I had reached the end of the hallway I pressed up against the wall and peered around the corner. Around the corner was another hallway with doors lining the left hand side along with more cameras and at the other end appeared to lead to a parallel hallway, so there was no point to go down this hall. Off to my right however was a staircase leading up to the next floor which is where I needed to go if my memory served me correctly. I peered around the corner once more to check which way the cameras were facing before moving on. After waiting for a few moments for the camera to look the other way I strode across the hall towards the stairs. Just I was going up the first steps however; I heard the sounds of footsteps. My head shot up to see the shadows of two individuals on the wall overhead. "Shit more guards!" I thought to myself and my mind raced what to do. Should I fall back to my original position? There was the risk I could be spotted on the way back by the camera or I might not get into cover before the guards came down the stairs. It was then when I looked down and saw through the stairs that there was an area behind the staircase. I scurried back down the stairs and rounded the corner heading into the area behind the staircase. I took cover, ducking behind some boxes before I raised my head to see what was happening. Above me I heard the weight of their footsteps and after a few short moments passed and I saw their black boots through slits in the staircase. Eventually the rest of their backside was revealed to me as they came down the stairs. They were another pair of heavily armored guards wearing urbanized clothing and black body armor and helmets with automatic rifles. As the guards reached the bottom of the stairs they looked around for a moment.

"You seen that new AR-16?" One of the guards asked the other turning to him.

"Yeah some of the other guys were telling me about." The other guard said as he turned to respond. Eventually the two guards carried on down the hall still chatting about that new gun whilst I crept out from behind the boxes and made my way towards the stairs. I reached the stairs and looked towards the guards going down the hall.

"It seemed pretty nice from what I saw, it had a nice pistol grip on it along with good iron sights…." The guards were still talking about that new gun so they were paying little attention to their surroundings. With that I made my way up the stairs in long strides leaving them behind me…

My hand traced the railing as I emerged at the top of the staircase. Upon reaching the top and rounding the corner I was greeted by a spanning hallway with glass windows lining the right hand side of the wall. I crept forward and looked out the window; it overlooked much of the warehouse floor in its entirety. Even with my glasses everything was still too small to make out anything of importance. Somewhere down there in that maze was my brother as he searched for the vault containing what we had come here for. He might already be there by now, so that means I should hurry up. I turned around facing the hall and saw there was only one door in the entire hall. I moved away from the window and crept along the wall until I reached the singular door. Painted across the metal door in black bold letters was the word Security. This was the place! All I had to do now was get inside and then I can get into their system from here. I looked down at the panel next to the door and saw it was a three part system. I furrowed my eyebrows looking at it; it certainly wouldn't be easy, but not impossible. I wish that I had taken that ID card instead, that would have made my job a little bit easier. I looked back and forth to see that the coast was still clear, with that in mind I pulled my phone out of my pocket along with a cord and jacked the cord into an outlet in the bottom of the panel. I raised my phone up to my face and navigated the menus of my phone until I reached the app I was looking for. With a few taps of my finger the program began running as I looked back and forth for a few moments. When I returned my gaze to my phone the screen had turned green with a check mark and looking up the panel had also turned green. My own little program I invented to help when it came to decrypting passcodes and passwords. I pulled the cord out of the panel and returned my phone to its pocket. Next I pulled out a blank plastic card that had the same dimensions as most Identification cards had, as most ID cards were bought from the same place. So hopefully they were using the same plastic cards as everyone else. I held the card in between the palm of my hand and my thumb before I proceeded to close my eyes and think back. I thought back to when my brother held the card out in front of my face, concentrating on every single detail of the card. I felt the magic circuits in my arm begin to work and after a few moments of concentration I opened my eyes to see the exact copy of the card printed out onto my blank card as the magic circuits in my arm now went dark as I had finished casting the spell. It was a perfect replica if I do say so myself. I pressed the card up to the scanner and there was a beep along with a green flash underneath meaning it had been a success. I slipped the card back into my pocket and now that I was done with it, all that was left was the eye scanner. I pulled the glasses off from my face as I pulled out a container and flipped it open. Inside was a pair of contacts that I dropped into the palm of my hand. I lifted the contacts up to my eyes, putting them into my eyes one by one before blinking rapidly as the woman's retinal were now printed onto the contacts. It helped when I had photographic memory for these types of things. I pressed my eyes up to the eye scanner and held it there for a few moments… For a moment I thought it hadn't worked, but then I heard a metallic click and beep letting me know the door was now unlocked. I pulled back my face and quickly removed my contacts from my face and put them back into their container. Once my contacts were safely back into my vest jacket I reached out and pulled down on the door handle….

Inside was a well lit room with monitors that lined the eternity of the walls letting one see everything going on in the warehouse. There were two stations that monitored the screens and handled the security by the looks of things, however only one of the stations appeared to be manned tonight as one person was sitting with his back to the door at the station on the opposite side of the room. I closed the door carefully as I entered, however there was a metallic click as the door locked behind me. "Tch it couldn't be helped I guess." I thought to myself and looked forward. Surprisingly the guard hadn't turned around to face me, either he was hard of hearing or had chose not to pay it any mind. I slowly walked forward taking light steps as I made my way across the room the guard from behind. The guard still not taking his eyes off of his station, and it wasn't until I was a few feet behind him that I came to a stop...

"Hey Jim it took you long enough to get here." The Guard said over his shoulders. "I've been waiting for you to relieve me for the past hour." The Guard added.

"Yeah I'll relieve you now…" I said as I rose my hand up and my mana flowed through my magical circuits causing them to light up.

"Wait what you're not…!" The Guard exclaimed as he turned around to try and react, but it was already too late as I brought my hand down and chopped him in the neck. "Guck!" The guard murmured as he slumped out of the chair and fell down to the ground. With the guard taken care of I turned around and made my way over to the door where I pulled down a nearby cabinet to block the entrance. There was a loud crash, but I'd rather not risk anyone catching me off guard. I figured even if anyone had heard it, I should be out of here in two minutes tops. I rushed over to the computer where I plopped in the seat and spun around to face the computer. My hands instinctively went to the keyboard and mouse as I navigated the computer searching the list of vaults, it was not hard to find with Vault Hades being at the top of the list. I clicked on the Vault Hades and a popup window popped up asking for a password. I raised my hand up to my ear and pressed down on one of the buttons on my Bluetooth.

"Alex, you there?" I said and awaited for his response. A few moments passed by without response and I was starting to worry….

"What took you so long!?" Alex exclaimed into my ear. "I've already found the vault and I've been hiding here waiting for you to contact me!" Alex added before I could even reply.

"Sorry it took a bit longer than expected, but I've reached the control room now." I replied as I lowered my hand back to the keyboard.

"Well I'm standing outside of the Vault door now. You should see me on the camera now." Alex said and I looked up at all the screens, having no idea which screen was showing Vault Hades. After scanning the screens for long enough I found where my brother was as he jumped up and down in front of the camera facing the Square vault door with Hades painted overhead, waving at the camera. "Alright I see you now, so you can stop jumping around before you get noticed." I said and redirected my attention back to the computer in front of me.

"Nobody is around anyway so I doubt it, but whatever you say brother." Alex replied shrugging off my scolding. "Now do you have confirmation on whether or not what we came here for is actually inside?" Alex asked.

"No, I don't think I'll be able to see inside until I get access to the Vault." I replied.

"Well hurry up, even if there hasn't been a patrol that has come through here yet. I don't want to be standing out here when a patrol does come by." Alex said in an urgent tone.

"You don't need to tell me that, but it will take a few minutes to get in." I said as I reached into one of my vest pockets and pulled a USB out of my pocket and pulled off the cover of the drive before jacking it into one of the ports. I opened up the file explorer and from there I accessed my USB drive where I found two programs. I clicked on the first executive and a window popped up with my only little logo. Once the logo faded I was presented with the choice of scanning the computer and I clicked on it. A search bar popped up asking for what I was looking for and I leaned forward typing in the location of the files for Vault Hades. Immediately the program had begun its intrusion onto the servers and scanning the entirety of the network. It will take a while before the program has finished scanning for the related search criteria. I leaned back in my chair tapping my finger against the table as I waited for the results. A minute or two passed by before the program finished carrying out what it was designed to do and then a scrambled word popped up on the screen. It was a Hash, since nobody in their right mind would ever have their passwords in plain text form. It would also appear as if they were using salting here, but luckily our client gave me the salting that they used here so I matched my wordlist with the salting they are using here. I highlighted the scrambled word and held down control and x at the same time cutting the word out before I closed the program. I proceeded to the next program and clicked on it opening it. My logo opened up like last time and I waited until a bar with a blinking dash appeared where I pasted the scrambled word into the bar and then proceeded to click on the execute button. Before my eyes the program began its execution as going through the wordlist looking for a match of the hashes. If all else failed I would have to use a brute force attack, but that would take even more time. Depending on the password it could even take hours, but I really hoped it didn't come to that. We didn't have hours to waste. Speaking of which it was mighty convenient that our client knew the salting that they used here, which could only mean one of two things: The client had an inside source or they themselves worked for this Organization. It was suspicious either way you looked at it, but with how much they were paying we couldn't possibly refuse this job….

"Hey Oliver, how are things going on your end?" Alex asked suddenly jerking me out of my thoughts.

"Uh I've gotten the hash for the vault, but it's going to take a few to try and match it using my program. If worse passes though I might have to try and crack it via brute force and that'll take longer…." I explained to him.

"You say that like it's a bother, you have a program doing it for you." Alex replied.

"Hey I wrote the programs, do you seriously expect me to crack it all by myself?" I exclaimed into my Bluetooth.

"No I don't want to be here till morning…." Alex replied.

"Then be quiet." I said and felt myself impatiently tapping away at the desk. There were a few moments of silence before Alex spoke up again.

"Hey have you heard anything from Sarah?" Alex asked.

"Yeah she sent me her report card recently, she got A's and B's as expected." I replied.

"She always was the smart one of the three of us." Alex said with a sigh.

"Yeah and she's making a lot of friends." I said and I heard my brother let out another sigh.

"Man I wish I could be going to an all girl private school…." Alex said letting out a whimper.

"You would only sexually harass everyone!" I exclaimed and Alex let out a quiet snicker.

"Not everyone, Sarah would be safe." Alex said.

"That's hardly comforting….." I murmured as I rubbed my eyes. "...Hopefully this job should be enough to pay for a few more years of her school and dorm." I added.

"Yeah, but I'd like to visit her one of these days…." Alex said.

"Maybe when she finishes with school, but we can't let our little sister be bothered by her troublesome older brothers. We promised we would shelter her from the life we had and give her the one she deserves….." I said.

"I know, I know. I just sometimes wished Mom hadn't died and Dad getting arrested. Maybe then we could have had a normal life..." Alex murmured.

"Perhaps, but I don't think I can share in your optimism" I replied bitterly and before my brother could reply the screen in front of me lit up green. I looked up at the screen to see that there had been a match and now the password was written out in plain text form! "I got the password! Stand by as I enter the password." I said as I quickly scratched down the password on a nearby sticky note. Closing the program I found the same window from earlier waiting for me to enter the password. I placed my fingers on the keyboard and plugged in the password while looking at the sticky note I had written for myself. After entering in the last letter all that was left now was to hit enter, my finger lifted off the letter it was on and made its way over to the enter button where it hovered there for a moment as I held my breath. Sweat rolled down my brow as my finger hovered there, and then I tapped the enter button….. The window closed and my mind started to panic for a moment before a new window opened up on the screen with a camera view inside the vault along side of the vault's controls. "Alright I'm in, the password worked." I said.

"Well?" Alex asked.

"Yeah hold on." I said as I looked at the screen showing inside the vault and sure enough there was an artifact sitting on a table inside the vault. "Yeah looks like it's there, by the looks of things there's also a laser grid online that you'll need to provide identification to turn it off unless of course you want set off the alarm. I'm opening the door right now." I said as I moved my mouse cursor over the door controls and clicked open. A window popped up that read Door Unlocked in Green letters. "Alright the Doors unlocked, everything else is in your hands now. Good Luck." I said.

"Thanks Oliver." Alex replied and I looked up and watched as he approached the vault door and began to turn the wheel on the vault door until it was opened and then proceeded to pull the door back. I then redirected my gaze back towards the computer screen where I watched him swipe the ID card he had taken off of the female officer, and a notification went off letting me know that the laser grid was offline.

"Alright Oliver, I'm retrieving the artifact now." Alex buzzed into my ear.

"Roger." I replied and I proceeded to wipe my brow along with a sigh of relief, all that was left to do now was to retrieve the artifact and get out of here. While my brother was retrieving the artifact I was gonna take a peek at the contents of the other vaults. I minimized the window and went back to the list of vaults. From what I remembered from the Floor plans there had been a total of nine vaults, with eight vaults lining the sides of the warehouse and a larger vault in the back of the warehouse, more specifically the vault door to that one should be two floors beneath me. I knew that we were here for one thing, but I couldn't help that my curiosity was getting the better of me. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity I had to see what else they were holding here. We only knew of what we came here for, however I was curious what else this warehouse was holding. More specifically I was curious what they were holding in the major vault, they must be holding something important I bet. I scrolled through the list of vaults until I found my way at the bottom of the vault list and I hovered over the name Ares and clicked on it. Immediately a pop up window appeared in my face that read: Higher Authorization required, Director Level Authorization only. I furrowed my eyebrows a little bit, not completely ready to give up yet. I pulled up the file explorer and began searching for whatever I could find on the Ares Vault; however everything I had found so far was locked behind the Director's Clearance wall from the manifest to access of the vault alongside of any documents or emails related to it. This was all beginning to make me a little bit excited as to what they were hiding inside. I continued digging deeper into the Ares vault finding little snippets of information, with several mentions to a weapon. So whatever was inside was a weapon or perhaps there were several weapons. As I dug up more and more there were words such as continent to planet level weapon. So were they storing a weapon in there that could bring about planetary destruction? It would seem as if there should be more security here if that was the case. I pulled up my program and began to run a search to for the Director's login and password. After a few moments it came back with nothing and I was left there scratching my head. Not willing to admit defeat quite yet I continued digging and after awhile I figured out that entry into the vault required identification from the Director and two other high level officers along with biometric and retinal scanners. So security wasn't quite as light as I expected, but I wondered if I searched their personal files if I could make copies of their faces using my other blank ID cards and as I was having these thoughts I was suddenly jerked back to reality at the sound of my brother's voice. "Alright, I've secured the artifact. I'm heading to the rendezvous point now." Alex's voice buzzed into my ear.

"Roger I'll be with you in a few. I shook my head and snapped out my of my thoughts, I needed to focus on what we were here for. Some things were probably best left behind closed doors….. But still I think I'll copy what I uncovered just incase I can sell the information to interested buyers. I closed out the windows for the logins and brought up my USB in the file explorer and just I was about to begin copying the files over to my USB….

A loud blaring siren rang in my ears suddenly as alarms went off throughout the facility suddenly. My head shot up as soon as they sounded off and I looked up at the cameras to see red lights flashing all over the facility and guards were rushing around. What the hell happened! Did they find the guys we knocked out or was it something else?!

"Intruders Detected on sublevel 1, Vault Hades. Security Team Charlie respond!" An Automated Female echoed over the intercom. My head shot up to see a squad of armed soldiers heading towards where my brother was.

"Oliver what's going on?! The alarms suddenly went off the vault door is closing!" Alex exclaimed just as loudly into my ear.

"I don't know! Did you touch something you weren't supposed to?" I exclaimed as I exited out of the folders and cancelling the download in the process.

"No! I didn't touch anything other than the artifact and it didn't look like it had any pressure plates or anything!" Alex snapped back at me. Eventually I reached the window for the Vault and it was there I found a shocking surprise. The Laser grid had reactivated, but how did that happen! I smacked my forehead in frustration. "Was the laser grid on a timer or did someone manually reactivate it…?" I thought to myself and ran my hand through my hair as I tried to think about what we could have done to get caught. We had covered all of our bases; this plan should have gone off without a hitch. "OLIVER! I'm trapped in here! I need help!" Alex exclaimed bringing me out of my thoughts. I shook my head and smacked my cheeks, how we caught didn't matter right now. Right now I needed to get my brother out of the vault and we needed to get the hell out of here!

"R-Right! It would seem like the laser grid reactivated!" I said still shaken up a little bit.

"How did that happen!?" Alex inquired.

"I don't quite know, but that's not important right now." I said. "Right now we need to get you out." I added.

"Okay, I've got faith in you bro." Alex said and with that I returned my attention back to the computer screen. This should be easy enough all I had to do was unlock the vault door again and then get out of here. I moved my mouse over to the unlock button and clicked down on it. However I was met with dread instead as another window popped up with red letters that read "Access Denied: Security Lockdown In Progress.". I didn't need this right now… and to make matters worse another notification popped up letting me know the system was kicking me out!

"Shit this isn't what I need right now!" I exclaimed as I smacked my forehead. Okay don't panic, I should be able to stop the system from locking me out. All I need to do is….

BAM BAM

My head swiveled around to see the entrance door buckle under the weight of someone as it hit up against the cabinet.

"Open up!" The Gruff male voice of a soldier yelled through the door as he banged against it. I returned my attention to the computer screen in front of me and raised my hand up to my Bluetooth.

"Shit, I've got soldiers trying to breach the security room right now!" I exclaimed.

"You're gonna get me out right?" Alex asked his voice suddenly filled with concern.

"Yeah of course I'm going to get you out, you're my brother." I said sternly hoping to reassure him. "I'm not about to leave you here, it should take a minute or two to get you out." I added reassuringly, but that was more for me than it was for him. "I just hope the door holds out for that long!" I thought to myself as I opened up the command prompt.

"Damn it, we're gonna need the ram." The Soldier exclaimed. "You go and get it!" The soldier behind the door shouted as he gave orders. This order was followed by the sound of footsteps rushing away from the door as no doubt they went to go grab a battering ram. Even though they were going to get a ram, the banging against the door continued. I only hoped the cabinet would hold out just a little longer until I was finished. My fingers typed furiously in the command prompt as I entered the correct language needed to access the boot menu. One eye watched the countdown window nervously as it counted down until I was locked out of the system; I had thirty seconds left at best. I clicked enter on the keyboard and the boot menu popped up on my screen. I quickly pulled up the window with my USB and clicked on the third file on my USB. A notepad of text and code appeared popped up on the computer screen and quickly selected all and copied it. Luckily I had come prepared for this situation incase my intrusion had been detected or if something had went wrong, which you could say it had at this point. I closed the windows and returned to the boot menu where I entered the preloaded code I had prepared ahead of time. My eyes scanned the code quickly as I checked to make sure it was all in order and my eyes proceeded to look at the lockout timer, I had 10 seconds left before the system locked me out. My hand made it's way over to the enter button and it hovered there for a moment nervously, if I had made a mistake it would likely be the last mistake I made as there wouldn't be enough time to reboot the system and my brother would be surrounded by then. I felt as if I was sweating buckets as I slowly lowered my finger to the enter button as the timer slowly counted down to zero…. and finally I clicked it wincing as I closed my eyes preparing for the worst. A moment passed before I opened my eyes to a pleasant surprise, the timer had stopped on two seconds and was no longer counting down. I let out a heavy sigh of relief as I wiped my forehead and sides before I proceeded to close out all the windows until all that was left was the window with the vault access. I looked at the camera screen to see my brother standing by the vault door anxiously with his black backpack now containing the artifact. I rose my hand up to my ear and contacted my brother. "Alex, I've reverted the lockout. Assuming I have access now, I'm about to unlock the door. So get ready." I said.

"Roger that I'm ready to get the hell out of here." Alex said giving the camera a thumbs up. Just then there was a loud bam on the door and I looked over my shoulder once again to see the door really buckle this time. They must have gotten the battering ram they were talking about a few minutes earlier; the door wouldn't last much longer under that thing. I turned my attention back to the computer monitor and hovered my mouse cursor over the unlock button on the door controls.

"Alright I'm unlocking the door now; I won't be able to help you after that I'm afraid." I said. "The soldiers are gonna knock my door down any second. I've got to bail on the security room." I added and I saw my brother give me a nod over the camera.

"Understood, I'll meet you at the rally point." Alex said.

"Right. Unlocking now." I said and I clicked on the unlock button, a window popped on the screen that read: "Access Granted: Unlocking Door." I sighed a mental sigh of relief, the past few minutes had been filled with many sighs of relief. "The doors unlocked now!" I exclaimed just as I heard another loud BAM behind me. I watched as my brother turned and twisted the wheel on the vault door before pushing it open and slipping through. There were several flashes and I could hear gunshots in the distance from behind. Before I could even check if he was alright there was a loud crash from behind and I jumped out of my seat to turn around. The cabinet had now been pushed back and it would only take one strike before that door came swinging open. I hadn't even given any thought as to how I was going to escape, my mind rushed as I looked for an escape route. There's no way I could escape through the front door, I'd be mowed down. I looked around the room, but the only way out I could see was the front door. It was then when I felt a breeze of cold air sweep my feet and I looked down and then scanned around the bottom of the room until I saw a small vent in the right hand corner of the room in between of a cabinet and potted plant. I rushed over to the vent and looked at it, it was pretty small, but I think I could fit thanks to my slender build. There was no time to pull out my tools so I grasped the slits of the vent and pulled with all of my might. My muscles bulged under the strain as I pulled with all my might and it was then when I heard another BAM and crash as the cabinet went sliding across the room. And at that same time the small vent cover came off of its screws and flew out of my hands and over my head. I quickly got down on my stomach and began crawling forward into the vent, just as two thirds of my body was in the vent I felt someone grabbed my leg and pull me back. I looked over my shoulder to see the guard I had knocked out was now pulling me back. "I thought he would have been out for longer, if he woke up this quickly then it's possible the guards we had knocked out at the elevator had woken up. Damn it, we should have tied them up and tapped their mouths." I thought to myself exasperated and kicked my other foot back hitting him directly in the face. The guard let out a surprised whelp and he let go of my leg as his hand went up to his face, and I quickly pressed forward crawling deeper into the dark vent as fast as I could. From behind me I heard a loud bang and there was a brief flash that illuminated the vent before dying out, it must have been a flashbang. There were rushed footsteps heard from behind as the soldiers entered the room.

"HE'S IN THE VENT! HE'S IN THE VENT!" I heard one of the Soldiers exclaimed. Quickly after there was several loud crackles that deafened my ears and just behind several shears as something ripped through the metal. I looked over my shoulder to see several bullet holes that had narrowly missed my legs. I returned my gaze forward and quickened my pace of crawling going deeper and deeper into the vent gritting my teeth as more bullets rattled the vent from behind me…

After several turns and what had felt like minutes, I think I could confidently say that I had put the guards behind me. I don't think they could fit in the vent with their armor or builds, so I should be good for the moment. Although I didn't quite know where I was heading, I could only keep following the vent until I reached an exit. So that's what I did I kept crawling forward until eventually….. The Ground beneath me disappeared! I was now falling straight down the shaft as my gravity pulled me down towards a light at the end of the shaft. In that moment there was nothing I could do except raise my arms up in front of my face to protect myself and braced for impact. A few moments passed by before I was hit by a sudden shock of pain went through my shoulders and my head. Just as I regained my senses I quickly found myself in an awkward position that a child might find themselves in when they tried to stand on top of their head. Before I could try and reposition my body and figure out what to do next in the vent, I found the ground disappear on me once again and my body falling through the air again. It didn't take long for the ground and I to get reacquainted with ourselves as I hit the ground with a loud crash. Pain shot through my entire body as soon as I hit the ground followed by the loud crash as I broke through something. I laid there crumpled up in the ruins of whatever I had landed on, it took me a few moments to regain my senses once again as I scratched my head and slowly pushed myself off of the ground. Everything was still a bit hazy, but eventually my vision returned to me and I looked around my surroundings. I found myself amongst the ruins of destroyed wooden crate on the floor, I looked up to see the vent I had fell out of above me with the air vent cover swinging back and forth on its remaining screws. I grasped my knees pushing myself up off the ground till I stood up straight before proceeding to dust myself off. Upon turning around I was greeted by bright lights as I saw that I was on the ground floor of the warehouse! The overhead lights had been turned on so there was now nowhere for one such as myself to hide! Well that was fine all I needed to do was sneak away to where I was supposed to meet my brother while they were still looking for me…

"Over there! There he is! Open fire!" The barking of a soldier exclaimed and my head swiveled around to where the voices had come from. I saw a pair of soldiers looking at me from over by shelves stacked with boxes. One of the soldiers was pointing at me while the other raised his rifle to fire at me.

"I can't catch a break!" I exclaimed annoyed. My ears ringed as gunshots went off and bullets zipped over my head narrowly missing me as I ducked. I reacted to it by throwing my arm across my chest and opening my palm out in the direction of their soldiers. A ball of flames formed in the palm of my hand before shooting out towards the soldiers. The soldiers ducked their heads as the fireball went over them before they returned their attention back towards me, however before they could return fire there was an explosion behind them and they looked over their shoulders.

"LOOK OUT!" One of the soldiers exclaimed as they tried to leap out of the way as the shelve was struck by the explosion of the fireball when it struck the bottom of the shelves. The shelve gave way and collapsed on top of the soldiers with a loud crash. Not wasting any time I turned around and ran off in the opposite direction as I could hear more footsteps coming my way, I needed to get out of here and fast!

I ran as fast as my legs would carry me down the nearest hallway I could find before reaching the end and rounding around a corner heading down another long stretch of narrow hallway. I took this opportunity to look over my shoulder to see if anyone was following me, luckily it seemed as if nobody was so it seemed like I was in the clear….

"Guck!" I exclaimed as I felt someone grab me back of my collar and pull me backwards into a room. There was a slam of a door and I was prepared to put up a fight as I turned around, but as soon as I saw who it was I lowered my guard.

"Alex you're alright!" I exclaimed as I panted from all the running I had been doing. Alex who had has ear up to the door listening to see if anyone was outside, turned to face me as I greeted him.

"Yeah of course I'm alright, why wouldn't I be?" Alex said confidently, never one to show any sign of weakness or exhaustion. "I should be the one asking you that, your face is red and you're sweating buckets. What happened?" Alex inquired.

"There was a vent, then I fell down at least one story and then at least another story after vent gave out, crashed into boxes, broke my fall, then got spotted by soldiers and shot at, brought a shelf down on them, ran away as fast as I could." I said in between of my pants. My brother gave me a look over with a concerned expression before looking back at the door.

"I see, sounds like you had fun." Alex said peeking through an open crack in the door. It was then when I heard several pair of footsteps outside and my whole body tensed up. The room fell into silence as we waited for them to pass, eventually they did pass and my brother closed the door as quietly as possible before turning to face me once again. "Well if it hadn't been for me, you would have ran straight into a squad of soldiers." Alex said to me, once again my brother had ended up saving me. I ran my hand through my hair a little annoyed at myself, but did my best not to show it to my brother.

"Thanks." I said and Alex nodded his head. "So you got the artifact?" I asked and my brother nodded his head as he twisted his body a little to show the backpack still on his back.

"Yeah of course I got it, I told you I did." Alex replied.

"I never doubted you, but I just wanted to make sure you didn't lose it by accident." I said as I turned around and looked around the room. The room we were in was dark, but I could still make some things out in the darkness. There were more shelves with boxes stacked on them, what looked like large garage doors lined the wall where the door was, and I could vaguely make out a small forklift. However the was something that caught my attention specifically.

"So what now?" Alex asked as I turned back to face my brother.

"Now we go up." I replied and my brother gave me a confused expression as I walked towards the middle of the room, his gaze following me as I walked up to four pillars in the middle of the room. I stepped onto the platform in the middle of four pillars and motioned my brother to join me. My brother rushed over to join me and stood next to me on the platform. I turned to face a panel raised up to be accessible to humans, and reaching up I pushed down on a button and a green light came on. There was a moment when nothing happened and then the ground beneath us shook followed by the sound of machinery. Soon we were lifting off the ground slowly, but surely.

"W-wait what? An elevator?!" Alex exclaimed.

"Of course this is a loading area idiot; hopefully this elevator will take us to the surface." I said as I pushed my glasses up onto my face confidently. "I knew exactly where I was going." I added.

"Oh? Really now? So why do you say hopefully this elevator will take us to the surface?" Alex inquired looking at me.

"I'm confident it will, it's only logical it will drop lead us to a loading area up on the surface." I said reassuringly and crossed my arms. Alex didn't say much after that and the elevator continued rising up and the loading soon disappeared as the elevator completely entered elevator shaft. The shaft being illuminated by the occasional red light. We stood there in silence as we waited for the elevator to reach the top, it wasn't until a minute or two passed that the silence was broken.

"So what happened?" Alex finally asked. I scratched my head as I looked down at the ground in annoyance.

"I don't know." I answered honestly.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Alex exclaimed.

"I said I don't know. The laser grid was down according to what it said up in the security room, when the alarms went off and I checked it had turned back on somehow." I explained. "Either it was on a timer or someone reactivated it, I don't know." I reiterated.

"Well why weren't you watching it!" Alex exclaimed and remembered back to what I was doing and rubbed my cheek in embarrassment.

"Well I sorta, kinda, got distracted. I got curious and started looking at what else they were holding." I replied.

"Seriously Oliver! Had you been paying attention, this would have never happened!" Alex snapped at me and I raised my hands up in mock surrender.

"Alright I admit it was partially my fault." I said. "But I did find out they're holding some sort of weapon in that large vault of theirs, some sort of continental level destruction." I exclaimed and this seemed to pique my brother's interest as he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh so you downloaded the files they had on it? I bet you someone would pay a lot of money for that information." Alex replied. I was about to reply

"No I got interrupted when the alarms went off and cancelled the download…" I muttered and my brother let out an annoyed sigh.

"Geez there went a chance to score big time….. Oh well. At least we got what we came for." Alex said as he crossed his arms. At that moment the elevator slowly grinded to a stop as we came up into another dark room and looked around where we had been dropped off on. This room didn't look all that different than the one from below, but this time the garage doors were on the other side of the room and there were empty shelves along with a raised area where two doors were on the left and ride side of the room. A pair of snowmobiles placed off to our right in front of the garage doors. I turned and faced my brother.

"Alex get on the snowmobile and get it ready! That's gonna be our ride out of here!" I said and my brother nodded his head. Whilst my brother hopped onto the snow mobile, I rushed over to the panel next to the garage door where I could see the cold fringes of the Alaskan snow outside. I smacked down on one of the two buttons on the panel and the sound of the garage door opening was heard as it lifted off the ground slowly. I walked up to snowmobile and my brother who was trying to mess with the wiring on it to try and get it to start, to no success. I looked up and scanned the room until my gaze landed on what looked like several pair of keys dangling from a board. Rushing over there I grabbed the keys and proceeded to make my way back to my brother where I handed him the keys.

"Thanks, that'll make things a bit easier." Alex said as he accepted the keys and put them into the slot in the front of the gages and handles. With the twist of the keys and a few strong yanks on the cord the snowmobile roared to life, and I let out a satisfying smile. Just then however there was a slam of a door slamming against the wall and my head shot up. There was a soldier wearing winter camouflage with matching vest and helmet and a black ski mask covering his face with goggles. There was several soldiers behind him. They got here sooner than expected.

"There they are!" The soldier exclaimed as he rose his sidearm and took aim at us. "Don't let them get away! Stop them!" The soldier barked orders at the others and they followed suit raising their weapons.

"Hurry and get on!" Alex exclaimed and I quickly hopped onto the back of the snowmobile and was almost thrown off as my brother pressed down on the pedal and we jerked forward. I ducked my head as the soldier from earlier shot his gun off barely missing my head, there were more bullets that followed soon after, fired by the soldiers surrounding him. Those shots missed their target as well, as we shot out of the garage into the outside cold…

Escaping from the facility was not the end of our worries as we still needed to leave the grounds. We had exited out into the parking lot of the facility near the rear and the only way out was through the front gate since I don't think the snowmobile was going to be taking down any fences anytime soon. We moved through the parking lot towards the front gate. Gliding across the parking lot we passed by all of the parked cars that were sitting in the snow, as we closed in on the exit a guard rushed out from a small building near the entrance gate and it appeared as if he was going to try and stop us. Oliver pressed his foot down on the pedal and the guard raised his rifle when it was clear we weren't going to stop. Gunpowder mixed with the cold in the air as the guard fired several shots from his rifle. The both of us ducked our heads as the bullet grazed over our heads and bullets grazed the windshield as the plastic cracked and a crack now scarred the plexiglass. Despite this we pressed forward and the guard had to jump out of the way to avoid getting run over by us as we shot through the open front gate into freedom. We sped down the road for less than a quarter of a mile before we saw the headlights of trucks in the distance coming towards us.

"Looks like we're going to have to go off road. Hold on!" Oliver exclaimed and the snowmobile suddenly swerved to the right. I grasped onto my brothers waist as we veered off the road and we headed into the forest.

Traversing through the forest was easy going for the snow mobile, the only real obstacle at this point was making sure we didn't hit any trees. I looked around as our surroundings passed by a blur, not to mention it was pitch black with the only source of light being the headlight of the snowmobile lighting our way forward. We had made pretty good ground so far as several minutes had passed and we must have at least traversed a mile or half a mile by now. I thought we would be in the clear by now….. Until I looked over my shoulder and saw several headlights behind us. I returned my gaze forward and patted my brother on the back.

"Alex we've got what looks like at least three snowmobiles following us." I said and Alex looked over my shoulder before quickly looking back up front.

"Well it was too be expected." Alex replied smoothly. "They wouldn't just let us get away with their stuff scot free." Alex added. I couldn't help but furrow my brows a little bit since we hadn't exactly got off scot free; we'd been shot at multiple times after having alerted the whole base. Although I still wasn't even quite sure how we had tripped the alarm, but that wasn't important. Right now we needed to lose the pursuing snowmobiles; we can worry about what happened later. "Hold on, things are about to get a little rough." Alex said and before I could even question what he meant, by body jerked to the side as we veered off to the side. It also felt as if we were going faster now as Alex stepped down on the gas, with everything now really a blur as we passed by. I winced as the cold wind gnawed at my face as we zipped through the forest. I looked over my shoulder again and sure enough the three snowmobiles were still hot on our tail.

"We're not losing them." I exclaimed looking forward.

"Just give it some time; one of them is bound to end up crashing." Alex said.

"OR WE'LL END UP CRASHING!" I exclaimed loudly. Just as I said that there was a loud thunderous pop. I looked over my shoulder to see that one of the three headlights had disappeared and it would appear as if one of them had indeed wound up hitting something. "I guess one of them hit something." I said.

"See I told you, you should stop doubting me so much Oliver." Alex said with a smirk and we sped forward. We continued swerving back and forth as we dodged trees and rocks. I could still hear the engines of the two snowmobiles chasing after us, but soon my ears were filled by another sound. The loud methodical bangs of automated gunfire as the people on the snowmobiles behind us started shooting at us. I ducked my head as bullets whizzed all around us. The swerving only intensified as Alex twisted our snowmobile left and right to try and avoid the gun fire. This continued for a few more minutes as we dodged gunfire, before my brother yelled something and I was jerked forward smacking my face into his back.

"Better hold on tight!" Alex exclaimed.

"Wait wha-?!" I exclaimed and before I knew it we were soaring through the air and we were out in the open. I looked around and saw we were flying over a small creek and before I knew it we hit the other side with a loud thud. I looked over my shoulder and saw the first snowmobile land right behind us, however I watched as the second one ended up falling flat and crashing into the creek.

"We lost the second one, now all that's left is one more." I said.

"Should be simple enough to lose him." Alex said and I looked back at the last snowmobile and squinted my eyes at the occupants of the snowmobiles. I couldn't make out much, but it looked as if there were two people on it. I couldn't make out anything other than that, but they were probably just more soldiers. It was then when the one on the reared his head and rose something. It didn't take long for me to figure out what as the bright flash and deafening ring that echoed through the forest let me know it was an automatic rifle. I ducked my head as more bullets whizzed over my head and we sped deeper in the forest hoping to lose them.

The song and dance of swerving in between trees and dodging gunfire continued on for what felt like five to ten minutes before we finally broke out of the tree lines and out onto a paved road. Oliver twisted the handles of the snowmobile and it also twisted as well as we came to a monetary stop in the middle of the road. We look out towards the forest to see if we had lost the pursuing snowmobile, however it didn't take long for us to find out. The loud rev of a snowmobile engine answered our questions as the snowmobile broke through the trees and came straight towards us. I was jerked forward as Alex pressed his foot down all the way on the peddle sending us shooting forward. I winced at the blistering cold gnawing at my face, it was even worse on the open road then it was in the forest. I looked back at the other snowmobiles to avoid getting hit by the blistering cold, but also a bit out of curiosity. These guys had managed to keep up with us, were they just proficient with a snowmobile or what?

"Damn these guys managed to follow us even through all of that." Oliver said looking over his shoulder at the pursuing snowmobile. To make matters worse there was now two extra pairs of headlights following behind the pursuing snowmobile. "Looks like they have friends. They probably were coordinating with the road units since trucks couldn't follow us through the forest." Alex added returning his gaze forward to focus on the road. As the pursuing trucks grew closer I made out boxy trucks that appeared to be Military grade armored trucks. However what was more concerning was the big guns mounted on the top of the trucks with goons manning them.

"Uh Alex those trucks have some pretty big guns!" I exclaimed.

"You're gonna need to take them out. Focus on the trucks and ignore the snowmobile for now." Alex said.

"The only way this could get worse is if they had an Attack Helicopter." I murmured.

"Heh don't go jinxing us brother." Alex said.

I turned my attention back to the trucks to see them speeding to catch up with us. Upon getting closer the muzzles of the guns on top of the trucks flashed as the gunners started opening fire on us. The loud thunderous noise of the heavy guns firing upon us echoed throughout the entire valley and I felt my body jerk to the left as my brother dodged the gunfire. I pushed my glasses up onto my face and my magic circuits lit up as I extended my hand. A fireball shot out from the palm of my hand towards one of the trucks. Before the truck could even react, the fireball hit the base of the vehicles and its wheel caught ablaze. The truck was able to carry on for a few more minutes before there was a loud pop and the truck slammed down to the ground on its rims.

"One down…!" I exclaimed as the truck shook violently at the loss of its front wheels and swerved left and right as it lost control before coming to a stop in the middle of the road. However that victory was short lived as loud boom filled my ears and the ground shook. The snowmobile passed through a black smoke field and I fell into a coughing fit until we had passed through it.

"A Grenade launcher!" I exclaimed as I finished letting out a cough. I redirected my attention to the snowmobile whose passenger appeared to be one arming another black weapon.

"Looks like they have some fun toys of their own." Alex said sounding like he was enjoying all of this. "Forget what I said, Focus on the snowmobile. He's a much larger threat!" Alex said and I nodded my head in agreement. I looked back and extended my arm out again. My magic circuits lit up as I shot another fireball out, this time aimed at the snowmobile. The snowmobile however swerved to the right dodging the fireball and it instead wound up hitting the front of the truck behind it. The truck either out of stun or damage wound up swerving off the road and crashing into snowbank.

"Well you took out the other truck, but you still need to deal with the snowmobile!" Alex exclaimed.

"I know!" I snapped back at him. We rounded around a hillside where it felt like we might flip over with how hard we took the turn and ended up going down a winding road before returning to a straight stretch. This brought with it more explosions as the snowmobile fired off several grenade rounds ahead of us to try and hit us. Alex did his best to try and dodge the explosions as he swerved from side to side on the road; however this made it much harder for me to try and hit the snowmobile as I hurled fireballs at the other snowmobile. This carried on for several moments, the road buckling from explosions of explosive rounds and fireballs. Had it not been the dead of winter and in Alaska, a rogue spark would have likely caught the forest on fire. I was starting to feel a little drained however as casting this many magic spells must be draining my mana supply. That was the benefit of a firearm, the user never got tired; they only ran out of ammo. I threw my hand across my chest in a desperate attempt and shot out several fireballs at once across the road….. And by a stroke of good luck one of the fireballs smacked straight into the snowmobile in a black cloud of smoke and the snowmobile came out of it with the front covered in flames.

"I got them!" I exclaimed proudly as I watched the flaming snowmobile swerve off the road into the snow and presumably crashing. I curled my fingers into a fist and pounded it into the air in excitement.

"Great now let's finally get back to base!" Alex exclaimed and with that the two of us sped down the highway finally getting away...

We pulled off the highway into a gas station off the road and drove up to the side of the gas station. The engine of the snowmobile sputtered and died as Alex pulled the key out of the ignition and we hopped off of the snowmobile and quickly pulled a tarp over it. With the snowmobile now hidden, we quickly head inside the gas station through the side door. Once inside I closed the door behind me before leaning back against it holding my chest as I breathed in and out heavily.

"Haha we did it." Alex said as he panted heavily and turned around to face me. His face was frost bitten and red from all the heavy snow and sub zero temperatures outside.

"Haha Yeah we pulled it off I said." I said as still held onto my chest breathing in. We took a few moments to catch our breath before high fiving each other gleefully. I looked around the dark room that soon became illuminated by light from a portable lamp my brother turned on. Empty shelves lined the walls of the abandoned gas station while in the middle several tables had been placed. Computers and other assorted equipment sat atop of the tables with portable battery powered lamps that my brother turned on one by one. There was also a pair of cots for us to sleep on. This was where my brother and I set up our base of operations for this job. It had been just the right distance from the facility while it was also on a road with little traffic. I made my way over towards the tables and opened up the laptop sitting on the table powering it on, I was gonna need to send a message to our client that we had successfully completed the job and was awaiting further instructions. More than likely they would send us a location where the exchange would go down, I was genuinely curious if the client would meet us themselves or if it would just be someone else sent in their place. There was a loud thud and I looked off to my right to see my brother drop the backpack down onto the table and begin to unzip it. I watched as he then pulled a black box out from the backpack and place it down in front of him. He then placed his hands on the top of the box and it looked like he was about to try and open it!

"What are you doing?" I asked as my hand quickly reacted grasping his wrist stopping him.

"Come on Oliver, you can't tell me that you aren't curious as to what's inside?" Alex asked in reply.

"No Alex! We were instructed not to open the box, only to retrieve it." I said sternly.

"Oh come on you can't tell me you're not in the least curious as to what it is exactly our client wanted us to get!" Alex said looking at me with a grin.

"NO ALEX!" I exclaimed once again more loudly. That was actually a lie, I did want to know what was inside. Our client didn't tell us what we were stealing only where it was and along with some additional instructions, which included specific instructions not to open it!

"It'll just be a little peek!" Alex said reassuringly. I scratched my head in frustration at his persistence.

"A little peak is still opening it." I snapped. "We risk upsetting the client and establishing a bad reputation about us, we must remain professional." I added as I wagged my finger at him.

"What's the fun in that! I bet they'll never even know we looked inside!" Alex said now sounding as if he was whining.

"No Alex!" I once again reiterated. Alex narrowed his eyes at me and I narrowed mine in return as we glared at each other appearing to be shooting daggers at one another…. But before we could continue this argument any further we were interrupted by the sounds of vehicle engines and tires. Our heads snapped towards the front window where we were almost blinded by several pairs of headlights. We saw the silhouettes of several SUVs stopping in front of the gas station, once the SUV's had stopped it was followed up by the sound of several doors opening and then slamming shut. The sounds of at least a dozen footsteps were heard shuffling outside of the building. No doubt they belonged to soldiers!

"Shit they found us!" I exclaimed.

"But how, I thought we lost them!" Alex exclaimed. I had thought so too, but apparently not.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter!" I exclaimed. "Grab the artifact and torch everything else!" I said barking orders at my brother. Any tension from earlier had disappeared as my brother nodded his head and shoved the black box back into the backpack zipping it shut. I snapped the laptop shut as my brother rushed past me towards the back door, I walked away a few feet before turning around and raising my arm. I opened my hand out, and my magic circuits lit up as a ball of fire formed in the palm of my hand. The fireball then shot out and hit the ground, it was quickly consumed in flames. The flames would quickly spread and consume everything in the building, nothing we had brought with us wasn't quickly replaceable. We always needed to be ready to move out and relocate on a moments notice. However this was a first in awhile that we needed to relocate because our forward base was found out. "Everything in this mission so far just wasn't going our way, but the saving grace was we at least still had what the client wanted." I thought to myself as I watched the flames spread.

"Come on Oliver, we needed to get out of here!" I heard my brother call out from behind me. He was right; we needed to get out before this place was surrounded. I turned around and rushed after my brother. "We'll go out through back and then escape into the forest till we reach the backup location." Alex said as I caught up to him. Alex then proceeded to run towards the back door. I lagged behind as I tried to catch up with him and I watched as he waved me to come on before he opened the back door and I watched as he disappeared rushing outside… My ears suddenly rang violently as there was a loud bam that fell upon my ears and my head shot up. The sound of the gunshot felt like that of an adrenaline rush as I gave it my all and sprinted for the back door.

"ALEX!" I exclaimed as I barraged through the door to see if he was alright. I hadn't been thinking at all as soon as I barreled through the door I felt a pain shoot up my spine as I was struck in the back and fell down into the snow…

I watched as the kid hit the snow with a heavy crash as I struck him in the back with the butt of my rifle. I returned the rifle to my shoulder, taking aim at the kid lying on the ground, it didn't take long for him to turn himself over and look up at me. The kid had dark brown hair with matching eyes, and a fair skin tone. Like the other kid before him, he wore a black vest with a black jacket underneath, along with a pair of black pants and boots. As his gaze looked upon me, he narrowed his eyes at me through his glasses and gritted his teeth looking annoyed. I held my rifle firmly in my hands pointed at the kid, sending him a clear message that if he tired anything it would be the last thing he did. The kid apparently got the message as he remained motionless on the ground still gritting his teeth.

"You again, you're that soldier from the garage." The kid finally said in English breaking the long silence that had fallen upon us.

"Yup that's me. I bet you didn't expect we'd be seeing each other again so soon." I replied. "I'm surprised though." I added.

"Why is that?" The kid asked.

"I don't look any different than any of the other soldiers, so how do you know I'm the one from the garage." I inquired raising an eyebrow behind my mask and goggles.

"I recognize the insignia on your collar. You're the only one I've seen so far with one like that so far." The kid replied. It was something anyone could have figured out for sure, but it was a minor detail not usually worth remembering for most people. I couldn't help, but be a little impressed.

"Quite the memory you have there kid, but yeah that's me alright." I said calmly.

"I can assume then, that you're the Commander here?" The kid asked in reply.

"Right again, yeah I'm the highest ranking officer stationed here." I answered him truthfully.

"I don't know if I should be flattered or not that a High ranking officer of Chaldea Security Organization is personally apprehending me himself." The kid said.

"You can think whatever you want, it doesn't matter to me either way." I replied.

"So can I also assume that you were the one on the snowmobile that was chasing us down for the longest time?" The kid said next.

"Perhaps." I replied.

"I thought you went off road and crashed." The kid inquired with a raised brow.

"That was your mistake for assuming that. We merely went off road and followed you through the forest instead." I replied and the kid remained unfazed. The kid so far had been remarkably calm considering he had been caught and must know what was in store.

"Yes I suppose that was my mistake." The kid replied and then looked over his shoulder where a gasp was heard. It was there that the kid saw the sight of the other kid slumped up against the wall in a bloody mess as his knee caps had been blown out and now was a gory mess. The snow beneath him had been stained crimson with blood and it painted the walls behind him.

"Brother!" The Kid exclaimed as he scrambled through the snow on his knees over to his brother. Once he reached him he placed his hands on his brother's shoulder and shook him. "Brother, Brother! Are you okay?!" The kid exclaimed.

"Ah ha ha Oliver, I can't feel my legs." The brother said and Oliver looked down at the bone and blood gutting out from of his brothers kneecaps. Oliver placed his hands over the gunshot wounds in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Its gonna be alright Alex, I'm here. We'll somehow get through this! We always do!" Oliver said trying to reassure his brother. It was then when the sound of a gun cocking interrupted him and his head slowly looked up to see a woman standing only meters away with a Remington 870 shotgun held firmly in her hands with the ejection port back as she ejected the empty shell into the snow. The woman pumped the fore-end forward and loaded in a new shell into the chamber. The woman was also wearing white camouflaged clothing underneath of a black bulletproof vest. However unlike me she didn't have a mask on cover her face, only a helmet on. The woman looked down at the black box lying in the snow at her feet and reached down and picked the box up holding it in between her armpits. The blonde haired boy called Alex looked weakly up at her and it looked as if was squinting at her.

"H-Hey! I'd recognize that pair of breast from anywhere! You're that chick that we knocked out near the elevator!" Alex suddenly blurted out something absurd given the situation. I could only imagine it was taking every fiber of Raelin's being not to blast the kids head off right there and then, instead Raelin only narrowed her eyes in disgust at the blonde haired little brat in response. I could see however that her grip on the shotgun tightened. The kid named Oliver narrowed his eyes at Raelin before looking over at me.

"So are you just gonna shoot or us are you going to get my brother medical attention!? He's bleeding out!" Alex said to me in as calm a fashion as one could given the situation he was in.

"Depends…" I replied.

"Depends on whether or not I give you information or not, right?" Oliver stated.

"That certainly might help speed up the process." I replied.

"Fine, but let me ask you something first, were you the one who reset the laser grid that caused us to trigger the alarm?" He asked me. I stood there remaining silent for a moment before replying to him.

"Yeah, I might have had something to do with that." I replied ominously.

"I'll take that as a yes. So that would lead me to believe you were watching us since the start weren't you?" Oliver asked again.

"Of course we were, we were watching you since you stepped foot on the premise." I said truthfully this time. "You're not the first ones to have robbed a Chaldea Security Organization building in the past few months." I added.

"Huh what do you mean we're not the first?!" Oliver said looking genuinely surprised. That ruled out that they were part of a larger group if they didn't know.

"Yeah you're more like the third ones to have robbed a Chaldea Facility recently." I explained. "But you are the first ones to get caught so there's that at least." I added on a side note, more for my own amusement than anything else. Oliver raised his hands to his head and began to scratch his head furiously in frustration.

"Damn it! I knew we should have never taken this job!" Oliver bemoaned as he pounded his fist into the snow. I didn't do anything, just watched as he let out whatever pent up rage he had. Raelin and I remained silent as we just watched with our weapons raised, and eventually the kid looked up at us. "Fine I'll tell you what I know. Just get my brother an ambulance already!" Oliver exclaimed at us.

"Give us something important and we'll consider it." I replied not moving as I kept my gun pointed at him.

"Damn it, what they say about you people was right! You guys at Chaldea really are absolute garbage human beings." Oliver exclaimed.

"Coming from someone who steals for a living, that doesn't mean much. Now either or give us something we can work with or watch your brother bleed out in front of you."

"You'll also be joining him if you don't give us something." Raelin added.

"Alright fine. What do you want to know?" Oliver said.

"Who hired you?" I demanded.

"I don't know!" Oliver exclaimed and I narrowed my eyes at him obviously not convinced.

"That Ambulance isn't going to get here any faster with answers like that." I said.

"I'm telling you the truth; I don't know who hired me." Oliver once again reiterated. I couldn't help but get a little annoyed at the kid.

"Come on, don't bullshit us!" I exclaimed. "You can't tell us you don't know who the person who hired you is." I said letting some of irritation leak out in my voice.

"Listen I'm telling you the truth, we only have their email." Oliver said. "It's not uncommon for people to be hired by anonymous clients or through a middleman." Oliver went onto say.

"Then tell us exactly how you came to be hired." I said and Oliver let out a sigh.

"It was a few months ago that an acquaintance of mine forwarded me the job detailing along with how to get in contact with the client." Oliver explained. "My acquaintance told me that this job had been floating around the dark web and it looked like a job we might be interested in." Oliver added.

"This acquaintance of yours…" I inquired.

"Don't even bother, I don't even know his name. You'd be wasting your time trying to track him down even if I did give you his email." Oliver said cutting me off. "That's how things work on the dark web, nobody uses real names." Oliver added.

"Pretty sure that's just a rule in general when it comes to the internet." I said.

"Maybe before Facebook and Twitter, but nowadays idiots will put everything about themselves out there for people to see from Governments to Corporations." Oliver said.

"Well, would you be surprised if I told you I don't have any social media accounts?" I said.

"Well that's because you're not a complete idiot." Oliver replied.

"I'll take that as a compliment." I said with a nod of my head. "Now anyway, let's get back on topic. Tell us more about what happened after you contacted this client!" I said.

"I sent an email to the address I was given, including our proven record of success in our previous jobs, expertise, and other qualifications that they might want to know. Basically sending a resume for a job." Oliver explained.

"If resumes included illegal activities such as theft and robbery, sure." I said and Oliver only rolled his eyes in response.

"Well anyway it was a few weeks before we finally got a response. We ended up getting the job, obviously, and then details followed soon afterward." Oliver said. "So we spent the next following weeks plan and preparing up until now." Oliver added.

"What else was there, that sounds like you just gave me the ADHD version?" I said. "That ambulance isn't going to get here anytime soon unless you give me something to work with." I added as his brother continued to bleed out next to him. Oliver looked at his brother and then back at me.

"Fuck man, what else do you want? We didn't exactly have a pleasant conversation asking each other how the other's day was." Oliver exclaimed clearly angered. "The client told us the details of the job, what he wanted, where to get it, and our compensation." Alex said.

"How much were you being paid to do this job?" I inquired.

"The client was offering us two million dollars." Oliver said.

"Holy shit two million! I'd have to work my current job until I was in my fifties to make that much alone and that's without spending a single dollar of my paycheck!" I exclaimed.

"It's not uncommon for High Risk jobs like this one to dish out that much, usually they go much higher depending on who you're robbing." Oliver said.

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or not that Chaldea is not higher up there when it comes to risk." I said and Oliver only shrugged.

"Stealing anything from you guys isn't exactly a low risk job, but not many jobs to steal from you guys even pops up. Or so I thought anyways…." Oliver trailed off as he remembered he wasn't the first one to try and rob us. "Anyway the only reason why you're not higher is because places like Atlas and the Mage's Association exist." Oliver added. Which that was fair enough, anyone who tried to breaking in and steal anything from the Atlas Academy was a suicide mission. So it made sense we weren't higher up on the list…

"Fair enough I suppose." I said. "Now tell me why exactly your client wanted that particular artifact." I said motioning my rifle towards the black box held in between Raelin's armpits. Oliver's gaze went over to the box and then back at me.

"I don't know. They didn't even tell us what we were stealing, just where it was." Oliver said. "They told us they were a collector of rare artifacts and wanted it, so who was I to question them. You know how mages are with their rare and dangerous artifacts." Oliver went onto say.

"Nobody should know what we store in our warehouses, the manifest are classified." I said not sounding all too convinced.

"Apparently not, since they knew which vault it was exactly in." Oliver replied shrugging his shoulders.

"... Alright so these emails. You can show us to them right?" I inquired. "Maybe we can get something from them." I added.

"Sure they're in my email on my laptop." Oliver said.

"You mean the one in there?" I said motioning my rifle towards the doorway leading into the burning building. "The Laptop in the burning gas station." I said and Oliver nodded his head.

"Yeah it was on that computer, but that was just a burner laptop." Oliver said.

"Right, but you can still get into the email without the computer." I said narrowing my eyes.

"Sure, if you get me to a computer I can." Oliver replied. "But I think I've told you more than enough, and if you want me to let you see those emails you need to get my brother an ambulance right now!" Alex said boldly staring at me unflinching in his words. I stood there for a moment as I thought how I should respond, and eventually I answered him.

"Alright, I'll get a medical crew back here right away." I said finally as I rose my left hand up to my helmet. "6-1 get EMTs back here right away, we have a boy with gunshot wounds to the leg." I said and after receiving confirmation from the teams up front, I returned my attention back to Oliver. "Medical crews are on their way right now. Now then tell us anything else you might know." I said and Oliver let out a sigh of relief as his brother was finally gonna get medical attention.

"I've told you almost everything I can, but they gave us five hundred thousand dollars up front so maybe you can try and trace back the account they used." Oliver said. "However I'm sure it's an account under a different name or bounced all over the world." Oliver added.

"Alright thanks, what else." I said.

"Well I can tell you that our client also had a lot of information on you guy's facility." Oliver said and I raised an eyebrow. "They gave us detailed blueprints of your facility, security patrols and access codes…" Oliver went on.

"No wonder why you were able to take the elevator down and crack the password to the vault." I said as I rubbed my chin. "But only somebody who has high level security clearance would even have access to all of that….." I said and then I stood there for a moment. If I wasn't wearing a mask, the kid would have seen the dumbfounded look on my face.

"As I had originally suspected, you must have an employee at your company betraying you." Oliver said and I glanced at him and then back at Raelin who had been listening silently the entire time. I lowered my rifle and made my way over to Raelin, the sound of the snow crunching beneath my feet as I made my way over to her. I put my head close to her ears and raised my hand as I whispered into her ear.

"The kid is right, if what he says is true. We've got a traitor at Chaldea." I said in a hushed tone. Raelin turned and looked at me with furrowing eyebrows as if she was still trying to comprehend the situation.

"No shit Sherlock. I heard what he said, but what are we supposed to do?" Raelin whispered back. "We had suspected that it had just been just been some mages or perhaps a rogue Government, but if we have a traitor in our mix then everything we assumed was wrong." Raelin exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"We're going to have to tell Anderson and see what he has to say about this, more than likely he'll have to inform the Director of these findings." I said. "We'll have to see happens next after that…." I added and Raelin nodded her head in understanding.

"Alright…" Raelin murmured.

"Anyway, let's wrap things up…." I murmured into Raelin's ear before being cut off abruptly.

"Oliver… my legs….. I can't feel them…" The faint moan of one of the kids was heard behind us and we turned around to see the kid Raelin had shot moving his head back groggily. "... Everything is becoming a blur….." Alex murmured.

"Alex just hold on a little longer!" Oliver exclaimed as he gripped his brother's shoulder. I hurried over to the two kids and kneeled down in front of him. I looked the kid over, he had lost a lot of blood since then as the snow all around him was now soaked red in blood. Bone was jutting out from his legs and blood was still pouring out despite his brother's best efforts to stop the outpour. Further up his leg were further signs of gunshot wounds however, and it looked as if the shot had struck an artery in his legs as well.

"It appears as if an artery was struck as well." I said and Oliver's gaze shot up his brother's leg with horror and then back up at me.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Oliver exclaimed.

"Other than try to start putting pressure to his arteries?" I said with a shrug. "Outside of basic medical care, I'm stepping out of my area of expertise." I added and Oliver grimaced.

"O-Oliver…. I'm scared..." Alex said and Oliver's attention returned to his brother.

"Don't worry Alex, I'm right here…." Oliver said trying to reassure his brother. Tears visibly swelling in his eyes as he tried to contain his emotions.

"...I…. don't wanna die…." Oliver said as his head still went from side to side. Then his head proceeded to come to a standstill and his eyes drooped before slowly closing. His head fell forward with the drop of his eyes and his chest quit rising up and down.

"Alex? Alex?! NO!" Oliver cried out and violently shook his brother who didn't respond to his shakes. Eventually Alex quit shaking his brother and I raised my hand up to his neck placing two fingers on it to confirm what I already knew. There were no vitals as I had expected and I retracted my hand back to my side and stood up looking down at the two kids. "Alex…." Oliver murmured as tears were now clearly running down his cheeks. Oliver rested his head against his deceased brother's head in mourning. I only could shake my head as I turned around taking a few steps before reaching up to the side of my helmet.

"Cancel that medical request, we're gonna need a body bag instead. We have one KIA." I said and received confirmation. I stood there looking around, figuring it was best to give Alex whatever peace he could have before probably getting put in a prison cell. Everything was silent from there on out as we waited for the medical officers to appear with the body bag…

"What am I going to tell Sarah now?" I heard Oliver murmur sadly from over my shoulder after a few minutes had passed.

"Sarah?" Raelin inquired.

"Our younger sister!" Oliver exclaimed. "What did you think? We were doing this for ourselves!" Oliver exclaimed angrily. "Our parents went off and died on us at a young age and we're the only family she has left! Every single dollar we make we've been using to send her to a private school so she can have a better life than we did! Not that you people would ever understand what it's like!" Oliver yelled at Raelin angrily. Raelin fell silent deciding not to say anything instead. "You don't even have anything to say!" Oliver however continued to yell angrily at her. "WHEN YOU'RE THE BITCH WHO KILLED MY BROTHER!" Oliver yelled and then the sound of snow crunching beneath someone's feet was heard. I turned around just in time to see Alex leap straight at Raelin. Raelin was taken completely aback as she dropped her shotgun and fell to the ground with Oliver on top of her. I rushed over to come to Raelin's assistance; Alex was beating down against Raelin's face who had her arms raised to protect herself. By the time I reached her Oliver had gotten a few punches in on Raelin's face as blood trickled down here forehead. I wasn't going to let him beat down on Raelin for a second longer however, and I grabbed Oliver pulling him off of her.

"Hey get off of her!" I said as I locked my arms under his armpits, grasping his shoulders and proceeded to pull him backwards away from her.

"Let go of me!" Oliver exclaimed angrily as he resisted against my grasp. I continued dragging him back through the snow for a few more feet before Alex threw his head back and smacked me in the forehead. A sharp pain shot across my face causing me to stagger backwards and letting go of him. As I was bringing my hand down from my face I saw Oliver facing me and was now reaching for me. My hands instinctively went for my rifle slung under my right arm, but before I could bring it to bear Oliver grabbed my rifle and threw it back against my chest. I firmly maintained my grip on my rifle as it was now in between of the two of us. "You pieces of shit can go to hell if you think I'll help you now after you killed my brother! I hope you and your entire organization burns to the ground!" Oliver exclaimed angrily. The two of us now gripping the black rifle in between of one another, now engaged in a tug of war as we pulled back and forth on the rifle while at the same time backing up further away from Raelin. Both of us trying to take the rifle from the other. Even though I had far more muscle and mass on the kid, however he either must be using magic to increase his strength or this was adrenaline kicking in. It seemed for a moment as if I was losing this tug of war and my rifle...

There was a loud bang that rang through my ears and all the strength from Oliver suddenly disappeared along with the dark brown eyes behind his glasses widening in surprise. Oliver's grip loosened on the rifle before finally letting go and I stepped back away from him just as his body fell to the ground at my feet. Standing behind several feet away was Raelin with her pistol raised, smoke was rising from the barrel of her handgun as she stood there with pained expression on her face and her breathing was ragged. Upon seeing that I was fine Raelin lowered her pistol before returning it to its holster. I looked down at the kid's now lifeless corpse to see the bullet hole in his chest where his heart was. The snow beneath his corpse was suddenly turning crimson as blood exited from the exit hole. Looking back up at Raelin she appeared to be fine except for the blood still trickling down the side of her forehead. Before I could say anything to her however, my ear was filled with radio chatter as the guys up front wanted to know if everything was alright. I raised my hand back up to the side of my helmet and twisted my head over to the direction over at the Gas station where I saw the guys waving over at us.

"Yeah everything's fine back here, but we're gonna need two body bags instead of one…." I said. There was a sigh heard and it was then followed up by a confirmation. I returned my gaze back at Raelin and saw that she had retrieved her shotgun and the black box. Raelin walked up to me and looked down at the corpse and then back up at me. "Well Shit, Anderson isn't going to be happy that our only leads are now corpses..." I said finally saying something to break the silence. I raised my hand up to my forehead and scratched it through my balaclava.

"Sorry, but I couldn't risk him getting ahold of your rifle." Raelin said.

"No you made the right call. I just don't know how I'm gonna explain this to Anderson. This was the first time we had actually caught the thieves. At least we managed to learn a little bit, and maybe we'll be able to recover something from the gas station." I said with a sigh and then looked down at the black box in between of Raelin's arms. "Well at least I'll be able to tell him that nothing was stolen. So the operation was a partial success…."

* * *

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	13. Chapter Thirteen Home At Last

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Home At Last**

* * *

"So it had been a setup since the start?" Rin asked me as my story came to a close.

"Yeah, as I told the kid we had been watching them as soon as they had entered the compound." I said with a nod of my head. "We had arrived weeks earlier to set up more cameras and equipment along with moving some things around." I explained.

"From what you told me the security didn't even seem that hard to get around." Rin said.

"Well that's somewhat true; the facility had become a little neglected seeing as how it had never even had an intruder in its long history." I said shrugging my shoulders. "But we did use the outdated equipment to our advantage. While we left the older equipment in place, we had installed newer equipment hidden out of sight. So that made things a bit easier, but at the same time not too easy. We had all the new equipment hooked up to a temporary security room in the building on the surface." I said. Thinking back on it, it was really just a closest we had emptied out. Thinking back on how many days Raelin and I had spent in there with two other people only could only make me frown.

"So was them escaping also part of the plan?" Rin asked glaring at me with a smug expression.

"UH well uhhhh… Yes and no..." I said reaching up and scratching my head.

"Yes… And No?" Rin inquired with a raised eyebrow as she appeared to be judging me.

"Well you see we had originally planned on trapping getting them in the vault and security room. However I figured we should let them go and see if they'd lead us back to their base or the buyer!" I exclaimed with a raised finger. Rin looked at me completely unconvinced and rightfully so. That was a complete lie. Those kids had ended up slipping through our fingers at the base… "Ahem anyway. Ultimately though we weren't able to uncover their client after the kids had been killed. Only being able to recover the artifact." I said and glanced off to the side to look at Rin. "And so here we are now 5 years later only to learn the traitor had been right beneath our noses the entire time. If only we had been able to find Amara out earlier, then all of this might have never happened..." I sneered as I tightened my hands into a fist. It was then when I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked over surprised to see Rin's hand patting my shoulder.

"There, There. Don't beat yourself up over it Chris, I don't think anyone could have possibly sorted through this mess and put all the pieces together." Rin said reassuring with a warm smile on her face.

"That's not completely true." I said. "Lev had the hindsight to be able to figure out that Amara was working behind everyone's back to steal the Holy Grail in our possession so she could end the world." I said thinking back to my first meeting with Lev. "If only I had known Lev longer, perhaps he would have confided in me what Amara was doing and we could have put a stop to her before any of this happened…" I murmured as I returned my gaze forward.

"... Well we all can't be as great as Professor Lev was; he was a one of a kind man. So I've heard." Rin replied softly.

"I bet you could have figured it out Rin." I said looking to my side at Rin once again. Rin was taken aback by what I had said, but it only took a few moments before she was scratching her head shyly.

"Maybe, but I don't work at Chaldea Security Organization." Rin replied.

"Do you want trade places?" I asked slyly, knowing full well the answer.

"Ha Ha No Thanks. I don't think I could ever take orders from your boss, her and I don't exactly get along." Rin replied.

"I figured as much." I said as I returned my head back to the pillow and looked up at the ceiling.

"Speaking of Professor Lev, where are those files I gave you?" Rin asked quietly. I thought back to several hours ago to what exactly had happened in the heat of the moment.

"I hid them in the boot of my car, just incase things didn't go well for me in the end." I replied scratching my head.

"Well that's good; at least they didn't fall into Amara's hands." Rin said.

"Yeah that would certainly have put an end to any chance of stopping her." I murmured.

"Just make sure you get them out of the car as soon as you can, you can't lose those files if you want to make your case to Olga." Rin exclaimed quietly.

"Yeah, Yeah. I know that already." I replied dismissively. Rin let out a sigh as she sat back in her chair resting her head back against the chair. There was a brief silence between the two of us as we didn't utter a word to one another; the only sound heard was Elania's pen scribbling away against the paper. It was Rin who ended up breaking the silence.

"So you're Partner. Raelin was it? Do you think you could get her to help you in convincing Olga that Amara is working against you?" Rin inquired and a frown formed on my lips once again.

"...No I'm afraid she couldn't be of any help." I replied somberly.

"Why not? She originally helped you on these cases; wouldn't she be willing to help you now?" Rin exclaimed.

"No it's not that she wouldn't be willing to help, I think she would. But unfortunately she was killed 5 years ago…." I said and out of the corner of my eye I saw a Rin freeze up with a frown forming on her lips as well.

"I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't know..." Rin murmured as she intertwined her fingers shyly.

"Don't worry about, you couldn't have known." I said looking back at Rin. "Besides bringing Amara to justice will bring Raelin some semblance of justice in a way…." I said and Rin tilted her head curiously, but must have decided against inquiring further.

"Well okay. If you say so, that's good to hear." Rin said and trailed off for a moment. "Anyway I should probably let you get some sleep. You've had a long night." Rin said.

"You don't need to tell me that." I said scratching my cheek. "In fact that's putting it lightly. It's been a miserable night that's been dragged out for far too long." I added much to Rin's amusement.

"Well then all the more reason for you to get some sleep so it can finally come to an end." Rin said softly. "I'll be here keeping an eye out, so you can sleep easy knowing you're in good hands." Rin said as she crossed her arms and lay back in her chair putting her feet up on the table.

"Well that makes me feel slightly better." I said cheekily.

"Only slightly." Rin said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah I mean I already had Elaina. So you're an added bonus I suppose." I said smiling.

"HarHar. Very funny now hurry up and go to sleep before I decide to jump on the next flight home." Rin said.

"Alright, Alright. Calm down, I was only joking." I said amused as I returned my gaze forward. I proceeded to close my eyes and let my body sink into the sofa; it didn't take long for my exhausted body to fall into a deep slumber…

A stretcher rolled past me with a black bag laid out on top of it, as it was pushed along by a soldier wearing a red cross on his arm. I nodded it on through and waited for it to pass. Upon its passing I was greeted by the sight of a girl sitting in the back of an ambulance while a paramedic applied to bandages around her head. I made my way over to the Ambulance sitting in the middle of the parking lot. By the time I had reached her the paramedic had finished applying the bandages to her forehead and had left her alone to head up front to talk to his partner. The girl gave the paramedic her thanks before looking down at her feet with a somber look on her face.

"What are you getting bandages for? Your skulls too thick for there to be any real damage." I said jokingly as I rested my hand on her head and patted it. The girl looked up at me with an un amused expression painted on her face.

"HarHarHar." Raelin said as she let out a mocking laugh. "What if I really had gotten my skull cracked and I needed stitches or worse and I needed surgery?" Raelin inquired.

"Well I'd be right there waiting for you when you woke up." I said.

"That doesn't really make me feel better…" Raelin muttered as she looked back down at her feet. I took my hand off of Raelin's head and proceeded to plop down next to Raelin in the back of the ambulance. "... And besides I think I'd rather see Shadow's face than yours." Raelin said with a small smirk on her face.

"Oof that hurts my feelings." I said as I raised my hand up to my chest.

"What feelings?" Raelin said.

"OOF! What did I do to deserve such cruel partner?" I said jokingly. Raelin didn't say anything in response and only lowered her head to face the ground in silence. I cocked my head curiously and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Hey Raelin what's wrong? Something seems to bothering you." I inquired.

"It's nothing." Raelin replied instantaneously with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Come on; don't tell me it's nothing. I've never seen you look so down before." I said and shook her shoulder.

"I said it's nothing…" Raelin reiterated once again. I removed my hand from her shoulder and reached up to pull my helmet off. Pulling my helmet off I placed it off to my side and proceeded to pull my balaclava off. Once all of that was off, I leaned down in front of Raelin and looked up into her eyes.

"You can't hide things from me Raelin; I've known you for too long." I said and Raelin was taken aback by my up front ness. "Something is obviously eating away at you, so tell me what's up." I said. Raelin looked into my eyes for a moment before looking away from me and sticking her nose up into the air whilst crossing her arms.

"Commander you shouldn't be taking your protective gear off, what if they had another person working with them? They could shoot you in the head." Raelin said as she glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes.

"And what about yourself Lieutenant? You're not wearing a helmet either." I said pointing out.

"Humph! You said so yourself, I have a thick skull!" Raelin exclaimed.

"While that's certainly true. I don't know about it deflecting bullets." I said chuckling. Raelin let out grunt and closed her eyes seeming to ignore me. I placed one of my hands on her thigh and shook it playfully. "Now come on Raelin, tell me what's bothering you." I said. Raelin opened one eye and looked at me suspiciously before letting out an annoyed sigh. Raelin drooped her head and looked at the ground as she interlocked her fingers. Things fell silent for a few minutes and the light humored atmosphere dried up as Raelin returned to a somber and serious face.

"They were both around my age, around 17 or 18 years old." Raelin said as she looked past me.

"You're talking about those two, right?" I inquired as I looked at where she was staring. The second body bag was being loaded up into the back of a truck with the other body of the dead brothers.

"They were particularly kids Chris, and I killed them…." Raelin murmured shakingly as she unlocked her fingers and looked at her shaking hands. "I shot and killed two kids today Chris…" Raelin repeated. I blinked rapidly as I was taken by surprise at how badly shaken Raelin was. I reached out and grasped the hand closest to me and interlocked fingers with her.

"Hey now Raelin, calm down." I said clutching her hand tightly. "It was in self defense, it's not like you murdered them in cold blood." I said trying to calm her down. Raelin looked unconvinced though as she continued to look down at the ground and gripped my hand tightly.

"Are you sure about that…?" Raelin muttered. "I'm pretty sure blowing that kids kneecaps out and letting him bleed out was basically cold blooded murder…." Raelin added and I was left at a loss for words as I wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"Uh well…. Umm…." Was all that that I managed to mutter out from of my mouth.

"I also made a sister an only child; she'll never know why or how her brothers were killed." Raelin went on unfazed by my lack of a response. "She'll probably have to drop out of school or get a full time job…" Raelin added.

"Well I'm not quite certain if getting to live a life of comfort based on money from criminal activities is an innocent life, even if you don't know where it comes from." I said.

"Maybe so, but still…." Raelin replied.

"Raelin, I've never seen you shaken up so badly." I inquired. "You never had any issues after you killed that one woman in Switzerland or other people before." I said.

"Because she was some psycho bitch trying to kill you!" Raelin exclaimed snapping her attention up at me. "The others have been rogue mages who've committed heinous crimes or terrorism." Raelin added.

"Well what makes these two different, besides not being psycho or mass murderers?" I asked.

"Because Chris, they were two kids who are close to my age." Raelin exclaimed. "I'm twenty years old; they could have been my little brothers basically." Raelin went on. "Sure they were criminals, but you saw what they did. They didn't kill anyone; they just knocked our guys out and stole something!" Raelin said and I rose my hand up to scratch my cheek, she did have a bit of a point.

"I suppose you're right. However one of them did try to kill you and then me." I said once again trying to reassure her.

"That doesn't make me feel much better…" Raelin muttered and I let go of her hand. I placed it on her other shoulder and pulled her head onto my shoulder. We sat there in silence for a few minutes as my fingers ran through her hair as I stroked her head. It was not until I spoke up that the cold silence was broken...

"I doubt it will make you feel any better about what happened, but I appreciate you saving me." I said as I let go of her shoulder, my hand making its way up to the top of her head where I began to stroke her head. There was a momentary silence before she responded.

"That makes it the second time that I've had to save you." Raelin said finally.

"Yes, Yes. I know, you don't need to remind me." I replied. "But don't be going to tell any of the guys, my pride as man is at stake if they know my partner always winds up saving me." I added as I continued to stroke Raelin's long dirty blonde hair, one of the few times she had it of a bun.

"Hmmm….?" Raelin murmured. "And what are you going to do, to buy my silence?" Raelin asked just before she slid off my shoulder and plopped down in my lap.

"Oof!" I exclaimed as her head landed in my lap. "Bribing a superior officer is a crime!" I said.

"It's only a crime if you tell someone else about it." Raelin said. I looked down at her to see her grinning from ear to ear as she looked up at me from my lap. I placed my hand on her head once more and stroked her head.

"If you're capable of making bribes, then you must be fine now?" I inquired.

"Noooooooooooooooo!" Raelin bemoaned as she turned her face to hide in my lap.

"So what's really wrong with you then?" I asked with a sigh.

"One of those perverts violated me by squeezing my boobs!" Raelin moaned into my lap as she kicked her feet annoyed. "I just want to get back to base and take a long bubble bath!" Raelin moaned.

"There, There Raelin." I said as I patted her head. "I'll give you a massage afterwards to help make you feel better." I added. Raelin turned her head slightly looking up at me with one eye.

"Really?" Raelin asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"That's good. I think I'd like that." Raelin said before hiding her face again in my lap. I ran my fingers through her hair as I smiled looking down at her. "While I doubt Raelin was still fully over having to kill two kids, at least for now she seemed to be feeling better." I thought to myself as I looked up from Raelin, who was smiling now, and I looked over to the truck where I caught a final glimpse of the two body bags before the doors were slammed shut. But she'll never fully recover from these feelings; they'll stick with her throughout the rest of her life…

"Hey Chris Wake up…. Wake up!" A loud voice suddenly yanked me out from my dream and back to reality. I slowly blinked open my eyes to see a pair of aqua colored eyes staring down at me. Rin had her hand on my shoulder as she shook me violently.

"Uh Good morning Rin?" I murmured as I raised my hand up to my face whilst letting out a loud yawn.

"Morning, try more like Late Afternoon. Idiot" Rin replied as she took her hand off my shoulder and stood upright, putting her hands on her hips as she looked down on me.

"Well can you hardly blame me?" I asked.

"No I suppose I can't blame you after what you went through last night." Rin said as she raised her hand up to her forehead and sighed.

"Nobody can blame you, but you really should be getting home." Elaina said butting in.

"Geez Elaina, what's the rush for? I still feel like shit." I said letting out a groan as I turned on my side.

"Stop your whining and get up, you're a grown man." Elaina said.

"Most grown men don't get shot at in the dead of night while freezing snow is coming down on them." I said as I pushed myself up to a sitting position. "Not unless they join the Military of course." I added.

"You know what you signed up for when you joined Chaldea. So you have no room to complain." Elaina said as she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Did I? I didn't think it was in the contract when I joined." I said scratching my head sheepishly.

"It was on the fourth page, paragraph eight." Elaina said and I let out a groan.

"Geeeeeeezzzzz, that's no fair Elaina. You're a lawyer. I can't argue with you." I said jerking my head back with a groan. "You probably wrote the thing too." I added.

"I did not, but that's beside the point." Elaina said. "Now take this coffee to wake yourself up and get ready. I still have work to do, however your business is here is done and you really should get home for your own safety." Elaina said as she leaned down and handed me a styrofoam cup. I reached out and accepted the coffee bringing it to my lips I took a sip of the black coffee.

"What about my car? I doubt they fixed it overnight." I said as I set the cup down on the table in front of me.

"No they didn't fix your car, it's either still sitting where you left it or it's at a repair shop." Elaina said. "Either that or the police took it into their custody to examine." Elaina added.

"J-just make sure no looks under the hood of the car." I said bringing my hand up to my face to rub the sleep out.

"Why? Are you storing drugs in the front of your car? That's pretty bold…" Elaina said before being cut off.

"NO! I am not storing drugs in the front my car!" I interrupted. "The damage was to the back of the car so they have no reason to be opening the front end of my car up, but you're free to look up front and check for any drugs if you're so inclined too." I said. It wouldn't matter if Elaina saw the engine under the hood, as a lawyer she couldn't possibly tell the difference between a V8 or Hydrogen engine. A mechanic was a completely different story however….

"Alright, I'll make sure they keep their nose out the front end of your car." Elaina said after a moment's pause. "Now hurry up and drink your coffee, I can't stay here all day. I have to go down to the Courthouse and talk to the judge and then stop by the police station." Elaina said swiveling her hand at me as a way to tell me to hurry up. "Had you been awake you would have saw that the shooting got national coverage, and while I'm confident your name won't be mentioned or leaked for your own protection. You don't want to be around incase any nosey journalist do some digging." Elaina said sternly.

"I don't like Journalist. So yeah, you're right I don't really want to be anywhere near here." I said raising my cup up to my lips and taking a long sip before slamming it back down on the table. I looked up at Elaina and asked "So if my cars not fixed, how am I getting home?"

"There's a rental car waiting outside for you." Elaina said looking back over her shoulder along with the motion of her hand towards the door. I looked past her and saw the light peeking through the closed blinds before I returned my attention back to her.

"A rental car. Joy." I replied.

"Is there a problem?" Elaina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, No problem at all." I said as I pushed myself up off the couch and stood up. "Now I don't suppose you've got a toothbrush and some toothpaste I can borrow?" I inquired turning to Elaina.

"No, I do not." Elaina replied. "And I'm not sharing mine, so you'll just have to wait till you get home." Elaina added.

"You're not getting mine either." Rin added.

"I thought you left your bag at the Airport, Rin?" I turned asking her.

"Damn it. You're right. I completely forgot…" Rin murmured turning her cheek as she cupped her chin in embarrassment.

"Well I guess it doesn't really matter." I said and redirected my attention back at Elaina. "Thanks Elaina for everything." I said extending my hand out, Elaina reached out and grasped it. "Sorry that I'm always calling you to clean up my messes. This time certainly being no exception." I added as we firmly shook hands.

"Well it's not like you're the only one who I have to deal with. There are dozens of other agents I have to babysit." Elaina said with a soft smile as we released each others hands. "I'm just glad you're not dead." Elaina added.

"Me too…" I murmured as I retracted my hand to my side. "...Whelp I best getting going then. I think I've outstayed me welcome in this city for long enough." I said and limped my way over to the door. I heard footsteps from behind me and saw Rin following behind me. However I decided to ignore her and redirected my attention forward. I had already reached the door and proceeded to unlock everything on the door before grasping the door knob and turning it slowly. Before fully opening the door I stopped myself short and looked over my shoulder to see Rin standing right behind me. "Are you going somewhere Ms. Tohsaka?" I asked.

"Why of course!" Rin exclaimed. "I'll be accompanying you home!" Rin said gleefully as she tilted her head and gave me mischievous smile.

"... Excuse me?" I said after taking a moment to register what I had heard.

"Ms. Tohsaka and I talked it over and I think it would be best if she came with you until you got home safely." Elaina said standing a few feet behind Rin, adjusting her glasses up onto her face.

"Don't worry, once I've made sure you're home safely. I'll be taking my leave." Rin added on. I took a moment standing there dumbstruck wondering what the reaction would be to Rin, more importantly if my neighbors see another woman coming home with me they were really going to get suspicious. Three women in the same house with one man, one can only imagine what type of gossip might spread amongst housewives….

"Fine whatever, let's just go." I said scratching my head admitting defeat. I opened the door holding it open for Rin. "I just want to go home…" I murmured as Rin happily walked past with her hands behind her back.

"Thanks for everything Elaina. See ya." Rin said before exiting out the front door. I brought my head up and looked at Elaina who was watching me now.

"I'm sure we'll see each other again. Have fun dealing with this mess…" I said as I walked out the door with a wave of the hand over my shoulder.

"I'd tell you the same thing, but I think you already had enough fun for one night. So instead I'll tell you to stay safe." Elaina said from behind.

"Thanks, I'll try my best. Goodbye Elaina." I said before finally closing the door behind me.

I raised my hand up to my face as the sun bore down on me from above. My eyes blinked rapidly before adjusting to the outside light. Eventually bringing my hand down I saw the glistening snow coating the city with the sun high in the sky. Rin was already making her way down the stairs to the parking lot below. I hadn't even realized how far out we were from the city, because we had come here in the middle of the night. I scratched my head still annoyed before I followed slowly in Rin's footsteps, eventually making my way down the stairs reaching the bottom where I found Rin standing at the foot of the stairs waiting for me. I choose not to look at Rin immediately and instead looked around the parking lot.

"Alright then, which one is the rental car?" I asked stopping on Rin with a sour expression on my face.

"It's that one!" Rin said ignoring my sour expression and pointed at a black ford door sedan. Nothing fancy, but nothing terrible either. Just an average rental car one might get from any rental place. Without saying a word to Rin I limped my way over to the front of the car and stopped short, not because I wanted too, but because a hand stopped me. I spun around and faced Rin who had a smile on her face as she spun a pair of keys around one finger.

"Don't worry about driving, I've got you covered." Rin said cheekily. I furrowed my eyebrows and frowned at her giving her a judgmental stare. "H-Hey what's that look for!" Rin exclaimed angrily.

"Can you even drive Rin?" I asked dead serious. One couldn't tell just by looking, but deep inside I feared for my life at the thought of Rin at the wheel of any motorized vehicle.

"WH-What!?" Rin exclaimed taken aback and even going so far to take a step back. "Of course I can drive you idiot! You really think I've never driven a car before in my life!" Rin exclaimed now angry.

"I'm just wondering, driving by car isn't as popular in Japan as it is in America. You know with all those speedy bullet trains you guys have." I said shrugging.

"Tch, don't worry about a thing! I have a driver's license, so you can rely on me to get you home." Rin said and turned her back to me. Rin then proceeded to head down the passenger side of the car.

"Rin." I said following her with my eyes.

"What!?" Rin exclaimed not looking at me.

"The Driver side is on the left hand side of the car." I said and Rin stopped dead in her tracks. Rin turned around on her feet and stormed past me not even looking at me, to the other side of the car. I would have chuckled, but I was too busy fearing for my life on the inside. I made my way around to the passenger side of the door and looked across the hood of the car at Rin until I heard a click letting me know the doors were open.

"We drive on the right side of the road…." I said.

"I know that, shut up." Rin replied as she opened the car door and got in with the slam of the door. I got inside shortly after her and closed my door and buckled in, looking at Rin she had already buckled herself in. Rin reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys before she proceeded to jam them into the ignition. Rin turned the keys and the engine roared to life. I sat there quietly not uttering a word for fear Rin may just crash the car on purpose if I said anything to piss her off. Rin looked over her shoulder and we proceeded to back out of the parking space and begun the journey back home….

We had been speeding down the highway for at least three hours now and it would be another two before we arrived in Pittsburgh. So far we hadn't died yet all things considered, but I still glared at Rin out of the corner of my eye cautiously. I'm pretty sure Rin had noticed by now, but had chosen not to say anything. Until now….

"What are you staring at? You've been giving me this sour look since we left the Hotel room…" Rin said as she glared back at me out of the corner of her eye, meeting my gaze.

"No I have no problem with you Rin." I replied. "I'm just wondering what nefarious purpose you have planned by offering to drive me home…" I said.

"Nefarious purposes! I would never! " Rin exclaimed. "Elaina and I agreed this was for the best. I'm just making sure my friend gets home safely." Rin said before reaching behind my chair to get something whilst still keeping her eyes on the road.

"Uh huh…" I murmured still not convinced. It was then when something was slammed into my chest and I let out a prompt Oomph! "Wha…?" I murmured looking down in my lap. "This is my briefcase!" I exclaimed as I grasped the black case and tilted it upwards.

"Yup." Rin replied with her eyes now fully on the road.

"And how'd you get this?" I asked.

"While you were sleeping, I went and got it." Rin replied.

"I'm pretty sure that's highly illegal to sneak into a crime scene and tamper with anything." I said as I opened the snaps on the briefcase. "Elaina would have a fit if she knew." I added before proceeding to make sure all the papers were there.

"Too bad they'll never know that I was there, the police or Elaina." Rin replied. "More importantly we couldn't afford to lose the briefcase. Especially after everything you went through to keep it out of enemy hands. Not to mention it was a pain for me as well." Rin said. "So after all that, we couldn't leave it to chance that some random cop or mechanic stumbled onto it." Rin added.

"Fair enough, I suppose." I said. "... It would seem like everything is still here." I said after I finished going through everything in the case. I then closed the flap and snapped it shut.

"Of course it is, I checked so myself." Rin said.

"Alright…" I said and gripped the briefcase tightly between my hands. "... So if you threw it into the back of the car, how'd you not know which side the driver side was on…?" I inquired.

"I just forgot, it was still dark out. Shut up." Rin snapped at me.

"Okay!" I said snapped my attention forward to the road. We sat there in silence for a few minutes and I redirected my attention out the side window to look out over the snowy landscape as we passed it by.

"Hey Chris, you recalled that kids point of view pretty clearly. Even if you were watching them the whole time, you can't read someone's mind from cameras alone." Rin said breaking the silence.

"Oh that." I said. "Yeah I guess you can't read minds from cameras alone." I murmured.

"You guess?" Rin said with a raised eyebrow.

"Alright, you can't." I said.

"So are you going to tell me how you were able to recount those kids perspectives?" Rin inquired as she glared at me out of the corner of one eye.

"Well I didn't do anything." I said placing my hand on my chest. "It was all the people at Chaldea who did everything. They recovered as much of his memory as they could, but we only managed to get the past twenty four hours from them." I said.

"I see, I should have figured as much." Rin said.

"I'm not sure if I should be offended by that or not. It's not my fault that magic is beyond me." I said.

"Is there any magic that isn't beyond you?" Rin inquired.

"Oh Ho ho. Funny." I said with a mock laugh. "No I know the basics up to intermediate level magic with a few advanced stuff. It all really depends on if I need to use it or not." I said crossing my arms across my chest.

"Is that why you shoot everything?" Rin asked with a mocking tone behind her voice.

"I feel like that's a jab at me as an American and I'm not going to take that bait." I said looking out the window.

"It wasn't per say a jab at you as an American, but if you want to discuss your countries laws. I'd be happy to give you my two cents." Rin hummed.

"No, No. You can keep your opinions to yourself Rin, you worry about your country and I'll worry about mine." I said quite sternly.

"Mmm that's fine. I'm not really interested in politics, but I just wanted to see if I could get under your skin." Rin said with a chuckle and I let out a low growl of annoyance. A few more moments passed before Rin spoke up again. "By the way, when that kid was looking through your systems. There was something about a continent or planetary level weapon…." Rin inquired.

"Hmm what about it?" I replied.

"Nothing, I'm just curious if you guys are storing a weapon that would give the people at Atlas Academy a hard on." Rin said.

"Even if we were I wouldn't tell you." I said tilting my head at Rin with a grin on my face. "However you're free to go break into that facility to see if there really are any weapons that can destroy the planet. However I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." I added.

"I was just curious; I have no interest in weapons that destroy worlds." Rin said raising her hand cutting me off. "But let's just pretend for a moment you guys did have something like that, how would you know about that, but not having a Holy Grail." Rin inquired.

"Well even IF we did have such a weapon and I knew about it, that doesn't mean I know everything that Chaldea does or has. I didn't even know they were building something that could summon servants." I replied.

"Alright. I was just curious, that's all." Rin murmured.

"Besides I think a Holy cup that can grant any wish is a bit more important than any weapon, Atlas makes weapons like that like they're going out of style." I said and Rin rolled her eyes. "And while I'm not saying we have any such weapon, what do you think we have? Do you think we have the Ark of the Covenant just sitting down there?" I said playfully with a smug look on my face as I looked at her. Rin only glared at me out of the corner of my eye. I continued to look at her with a wide grin on my face as I knew that she would never admit it, Rin wanted to know. I wasn't going to tell her however.

"Ha Ha very funny. If that was the case however, the Church would have a field day…."

It was a few more hours before we finally pulled into my driveway and had reached the conclusion of this long and miserable journey. By the time we had gotten home it was already night out. I stepped out of the car onto the concrete and closed the car door behind me. I looked around and couldn't help but smile. I was never more happy than I was now to see the frozen over pond and familiar houses of the place I called home. I took a deep breath of the fresh air before making my way out from under the house to the bottom of the stairs. I stopped short on the first step and turned around to face Rin who was looking up at me.

"What?" Rin asked as she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"J-Just don't do anything weird okay?" I said with a raised hand.

"Uck! Me do something weird!?" Rin exclaimed placing a hand on her chest. Before Rin could berate me any further I slowly climbed the stairs with my hand tracing the railing. Eventually I reached the top of the stairs and was in front of the door. Rin was right behind me when I turned around to face her.

"Just don't do anything, don't touch anything. Don't snoop around either." I said.

"Why are you afraid I might find something embarrassing?" Rin said as a grin formed on her lips and she cupped her chin.

"No not really, but I never with someone like you." I said. "So keep your hands to yourself please?" I said cutting through the air with my hand.

"Roger that, Sir!" Rin said raising her hand up to her head and giving a mock salute. I could only roll my eyes in response. With that said I turned my attention to the door and flipped down the keypad before punching in my code. My hand then went for the door knob….

Before my hand even grazed the doorknob it swung open and I was greeted by an angry face. Standing before me in the doorway was the young girl who I had been living with for the past three years and had fought alongside of. Instead of the glowing smile or friendly face I was used too, her face was stricken with anger and she had her hands raised up in fist in front of her.

"SENPAI!" Mashu exclaimed loudly at me as soon as she opened the door. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN SENPAI?" Mashu cried out furiously. Tears were swelling in her eyes as she looked up at me with her fist continuing to be raised. "DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I'VE BEEN FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS?" Mashu exclaimed, her voice shaking with anger. I've honestly never seen Mashu like this before and I was taken aback. I knew that she must have been worried, but I didn't know she would be this angry.

"Mashu I'm Sorr…" I said before being abruptly cut off, a body slammed into me. I was taken aback once more as Mashu wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly.

"Senpai, I thought you were dead!" Mashu sobbed as she buried her head into my chest and the tears began flowing as she sobbed into my chest. "I was so scared that you had died when I felt that flash of pain go through my body….. Then…. Then I didn't…. Know what to think after that…. And….You didn't answer my calls….. I was scared for you Senpai." Mashu said trembling as she continued to sob into my chest. I stood there with my hands still up in the air as Mashu squeezed me tightly, and it took me a moment to respond.

"It's alright Mashu, It's alright. Everything's okay now Mashu." I said as I slowly placed my hand on the back of Mashu's head and stroked her head softly while my other hand went to her back and I proceed to rub her back. "I'm sorry Mashu; I didn't know you would have been this worried. I should have answered your calls, I know that now. I'm sorry." I said softly. I continued to stroke her head as Mashu let her tears flow into my chest. "Everything's going to be okay now. I'm home now, and I'm not going anywhere…" I whispered. We stood there in the doorway for several minutes before Mashu's crying finally died down and she looked up from my chest at me. Her eyes now red and puffy from all the crying she had done.

"What happened Senpai? You told me you were going to visit a friend and it looks like you've been injured, your jacket is covered in blood!" Mashu said now looking down at my stained jacket. "There are bandages around your leg as well! Were you shot?" Mashu exclaimed.

"Uh yeah, you could say that….." I said scratching my head.

"Senpai! What happened?" Mashu demanded. "I was going to rush out and go find you, but Sca…." Mashu said before stopping herself. "Ah, Ms. Tohsaka!" Mashu exclaimed and I tilted my body to look behind me to see Rin now standing behind me.

"Sorry Mashu, I was the friend that Christopher went and visited with. We had business to discuss." Rin said brushing her hair behind her ear calmly despite what she had watched.

"Were you the one who shot Senpai?" Mashu exclaimed angrily.

"No, No! Rin did not shoot me Mashu, please calm down!" I said patting Mashu on the head. Although Rin probably would shoot me if she could get away with it.

"I looked after Christopher after he was shot and I drove him here. I'm simply here to make sure he made it home safely." Rin said clearing things up. I looked back at Mashu who seemed to have calm down a bit.

"I see. Thank you Ms. Tohsaka." Mashu said gratefully with a nod of her head.

"It was no problem." Rin replied nodding her in reply. Suddenly a groan escaped from my lips as Mashu was hands grasped the area where I had been shot.

"Senpai are you okay!" Mashu exclaimed with a horrified expression. The hand that had touched the sensitive area let go and went up to the side of her face.

"I'm fine…." I said wincing.

"We should probably get him to bed Mashu don't you think? Christopher's been through a lot and needs some rest." Rin said interrupting the two of us. Mashu snapped her attention to Rin.

"O-Oh Yes. You're quite right Ms. Tohsaka!" Mashu said with a nod of her head.

"Please call me Rin; Ms. Tohsaka makes me feel old." Rin said with a friendly smile, and Mashu smiled in return.

"Right, thank you Rin. Now let's get you to bed Senpai!" Mashu said and let go of me and stepped to my side.

"Uh Sure, I'll let you lead the way Mashu." I murmured. Honestly I felt fine other than when Mashu had touched the place I had been shot, along with the limp in my leg. However I felt arguing with Mashu wouldn't be wise, so I held my tongue. I stepped inside and faced the familiar scene of my cozy living room. Looking down I was greeted by a friendly face and wagging tail. "Hey Shadow." I said. Shadow responded with an excited bark as he pranced his feet at the sight of his owner. Behind me I heard the door close as Rin entered in behind me. I limped forward into the living room and stroked Shadow's head as I passed by. Behind me I heard Shadows paw steps behind me along of Rin's as they followed Mashu and I deeper into the house…

I pushed the bedroom door open and it was there that I found the person who I thought would be the maddest at me. However she didn't even look up from her book when I opened the door. Scathach was in the same spot she always was, in the chair in the corner of the room by the window, reading a book. Wearing the same turtleneck and black leggings that she usually wore. Nothing had changed for her while I was gone.

"Lancer, Senpai is home!" Mashu exclaimed. Scathach didn't even look up for her book at Mashu's words, not bothering to acknowledge our presence. "Lancer did you not hear what I said!" Mashu repeated.

"I did, but what would you like me to do about it?" Scathach asked as she flipped a page in her book.

"Ugh. Seriously Lancer, Senpai was hurt and you have nothing to say!" Mashu exclaimed. Scathach didn't bother responding to her and only kept her eyes down in her book.

"Don't worry about it Mashu, leave Lancer to her book." I said and Mashu looked up at me with a disgruntled look, but nodded her head and she helped me over to the bed. I reached the foot of my bed and pulled my briefcase strap down my shoulder and handed it off to Rin who was standing behind me. Rin took the briefcase and put it on my desk while I began taking my jacket off, before I finished taking it off I felt someone pull it the rest of the way off and I looked over my shoulder to see Mashu behind me holding my jacket. "Thanks Mashu." I said turning and taking my jacket from Mashu. I looked it over; half of it was splattered with my blood while a bullet hole tore through the area where I had been shot. "Another jacket ruined." I thought to myself furrowing my eyebrows. I threw my jacket onto the small cabinet at the foot of my bed and proceeded to kick my shoes underneath the bed. I turned around and lowered myself onto the bed slowly letting out a groan as I did, as my body still ached all over. I fell backwards onto the bed and melted into the mattress looking up at the ceiling now. Before I could bring my legs up onto the bed I felt someone grab them and lift them up onto the bed for me. I looked down from the ceiling to see Mashu helping my legs up. Mashu the proceeded to pull the comforter and covers over me. "Mashu that's embarrassing you know…" I murmured.

"I know, but just let me take care of you this one time. That is after all what reliable Kohai's are for!" Mashu said giving me a warm and affectionate smile as she tucked me in.

"Alright, this one time…" I murmured as I lowered my head down onto the pillow looking up at the ceiling. It was peaceful for a few moments as I laid there looking up at the ceiling and Mashu's hand began to stroke my head…

"Hmm so is this what a Lancer looks like in her natural habitat?" I heard Rin's voice from the side. I tilted my head onto my side and looked to see Rin hovering over Scathach looking down at her with her hands behind her back. Please don't Rin….

"I suggest you mind my space little girl…" Scathach replied.

"Hmm Little Girl? But from the looks of things it appears as If I'm the older one little girl." Rin hummed amused. "PLEASE NO" I cried out inside.

"Maybe your body is older than mine, but you'll never be older mentally or age wise." Scathach retorted.

"Rin!" I exclaimed.

"Oh? Is that perhaps because you're a servant from older times?" Rin chimed. "No wonder why you're such a cranky old woman…." Rin said and before Scathach could say anything, I interrupted.

"RIN!" I exclaimed. Rin turned around to look at me playfully with a smile.

"Oh calm down Chris, Lancer and I were just having a pleasant conversation." Rin said. Yeah right! That wasn't a pleasant conversation! You two were spitting daggers at one another, and I don't think you want to play against Scathach's silver tongue!

"Right…" I murmured and looked forward. Mashu who was now sitting on the side of my bed looked down at me with concerned eyes.

"Is there anything I can get for you Senpai? Perhaps a heat pads or more pillows?" Mashu inquired as she placed her hand on my chest. Before I could tell Mashu No, I was abruptly cut off.

"Why don't we go and get him some Tea?" Rin suggested as she walked over to Mashu.

"Yes tea sounds like a good idea!" Mashu agreed nodding her head. With that Mashu left the side of my bed and stood up following Rin towards the door. As they made their way to the door, Shadow rushed past them and towards my bed. Shadow leaped onto the bed and walked over my legs causing me to groan, before he made his way to the empty side of the bed and plopped down next to me. Shadow stuck his nose in my face and began sniffing me before he decided to give me doggy kisses.

"It's good to see you too Shadow, I've missed you." I said as I began to stroke his soft head. All was forgiven for stepping on my legs as I petted Shadow's long golden hair and he proceeded to flop over on his side. "Such a good boy." I said as I rubbed Shadow's belly and Shadow began to pant letting me know he was happy.

"We'll be back Senpai, you just get yourself comfy. Leave everything up to us." Mashu said stopping at the door. I looked up to see Rin and Mashu standing at the door looking at me.

"Don't worry Chris, I won't get into too much trouble." Rin said cheerfully with a wave of her hand. I could only let out a groan of frustration in response which caused Rin to chuckle…

I watched Rin and Mashu exit the room before I turned to look at Shadow at my side. I stroked his side for a few moments before I turned to my side and looked at Scathach. Scathach was still looking down in her book not paying any attention to me at all.

"Well Scathach, aren't you going to say something?" I asked finally after staring at her for a few moments.

"Like what?" Scathach replied as she flipped a page in her book and returned her gaze to the page.

"I don't know, call me an idiot, stupid, retard, a fool, anything really?" I replied in turn.

"Why would I do that?" Scathach replied. Gee I don't know Scathach, because you've never thrown away an opportunity to do it, out the window before, in the past.

"I don't know, I figured you'd chew me out for going out and getting shot!" I exclaimed.

"It wouldn't do anything. So why would I waste my breath?" Scathach inquired as she flipped another page. Her response caused me to puff my cheeks and blow out hot air.

"So did you know I was going out to meet Rin?" I asked turning to look at her once again.

"Of course." Scathach replied. "Despite what you and that airheaded girl Tohsaka might think, my ears and eyes still work quite fine." Scathach added.

"So you knew I was going out to meet Rin, but you didn't say anything or try to stop me?" I asked with raised brow.

"Why bother?" Scathach asked in return. "Anything I did say would fall on deaf ears as you readily ignore my advice and opinions. You would still go to meet her no matter my arguments against it." Scathach scorned before flipping over another page in her book.

"I got shot you know!" I exclaimed.

"I'm quite well aware; I felt it the moment that it happened." Scathach said.

"So you don't care if your partner gets shot!" I said.

"Why would I? You care little for your own safety or life, so why should I...?"

* * *

**Thank you for reading! A shorter chapter this time, I know. Although I'm sure having shorter chapters is a nice break from the long ones you've all been reading. If you enjoy the chapter, please consider leaving a favorite/like and be sure to follow Book III to keep up to date when the next chapter comes out. Or better yet hop onto the official Fated Destiny Discord where we talk about all things Fate, Post Salty FGO Rolls, and even talk about Girls Frontline and Azur Lane. Feel free to leave constructive feedback and reviews in the comments below or tell me what you think I need to improve on. Just a reminder that new chapters of Book Three release every two weeks on Friday or Saturday. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to seeing you next time.**

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	14. Chapter 14 Following In His Footsteps

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Following In His Footsteps**

* * *

I had been home now for what had felt like months, but really had only been back for a week and over this past week I had spent most of it lying in bed staring at the ceiling into space. During that entire time Mashu had stayed by my side arguing that she needed to stay to protect me despite my protests to the contrary. Now every time I left the house whether it be to walk the dog or get the mail, Mashu was now at my side. Refusing to let me leave the house without her, no matter where I went. That meant she followed me everywhere around the house, and I swear that she would have followed me into the bathroom if I hadn't told her not to follow me in. With that said I was grateful that she was deeply concerned for me, but even I needed personal space… Although compared to what Scathach had said on that day in my room when we were alone, I suppose I should be grateful that somebody cared about me at all. Meanwhile Rin had left the following day that she had dropped me off. Saying that her job here was done and I was no longer her problem. However there was something she had said to me before she departed that was nagging at me…

"Well, I'll be taking my leave now…." Rin said before she stopped at the door and paused for a moment. Rin then swung around and faced me with a serious look in her eyes. "I'm leaving everything in your hands now, so don't go and let all my hard work go to waste. You got it!" Rin said pointing her finger at me sternly, before turning around and proceeding to head out the door.

That had been a week ago, and here I was still laying in my bed looking up at the ceiling as I reflected on what she had said. I knew what she meant, but I hadn't even gotten started on going through all of the files she had given me. My briefcase still sat on my desk untouched where Rin had placed it down a week ago, I just hadn't been able to bring myself to start going through it all. It was so much to dissect, it all sounded so surreal at face value. Some crazy scheme by one of the highest ranking officers at Chaldea to go behind her bosses back to betray her and everyone else there at Chaldea. Just so she could get her hands on the Holy Grail that had been in our possession. All for what? So she could go back in time and destroy the roots of humanity and thus destroy humanity itself, all so she could reach the Root, the thing that all magi strive to reach. Unbelievable... I guess what Lord Acton said over a hundred years ago will always remain true no matter the time or person….

My eyes blinked rapidly as I left my thoughts and returned to reality. I pulled my hands back from their resting position on my chest and pushed myself up to the sitting position with a minor groan. I had gotten a little too comfortable lazing around in bed doing nothing this past week, I needed to get off my butt and start looking at those files I had nearly been killed over. There was no time for me to laze around in bed all day when there was so much to read through, so I would be ready to make my case to Olga in a few months. My eyes wandered off to my right where I saw Scathach laying in her chair with her arms across her chest and her eyes closed. I saw black cables coming out from underneath her hair leading down to a phone at her side; she must be listening to music as she took a cat nap.

As my eyes wandered downward I saw the pink hair of Mashu as she rested the side of her head on top of her arms on my bedside. Mashu was fast asleep, which came at no surprise. She had been attentive to me over the past week and a half, getting very little rest. Even though I repeatedly told her that I would be fine without her help, she didn't take no for an answer. She was all tuckered out it would seem. I couldn't help but smile as I reached out and patted her on the head for all of her hard work, even if I didn't need it, she still did her best. Mashu really was such a sweet young girl, unlike the girls I knew back when I was her age. Mashu didn't react to my touch and continued to breathe in and out calmly as she must be in a really deep sleep. I could almost lay here forever just watching her sleep calmly, it was almost a bit soothing, like a cat purring in your lap. I shook my head: "No, No Chris. You can't stay here in bed all day, even if it is really comfortable. Those documents aren't going to go over themselves."

So with that in mind, I was now committed to getting out of bed and starting my work. The only problem now was actually getting out of bed; my body didn't want to move as it had grown comfortable here in bed. There was also Mashu resting on the side of my bed while Shadow lay on his side on the other, so that was also an obstacle to overcome. I pulled my legs back slowly towards my chest and out from under the covers where I then proceeded to slowly bring my legs over Mashu's head to avoid hitting her. With my feet now planted on the ground I pushed myself upright and brought my hands up to my face to rub the sleep out of my eyes. As I finished this ritual I turned and faced Mashu to see that she had apparently been undisturbed by my movements and was still soundly sleeping on the side of my bed. I couldn't help but smile at her; she really had worked hard these past few weeks. I reached over and patted her on the head affectionately which seemed to cause a satisfied moan to escape Mashu's lips. This caused me to chuckle as I pulled my hand back towards my mouth, after a momentary pause I began to push myself off the bed.

Eventually I finally got myself into the upright position where I stretched my arms and legs, only to wince as pain still tingled in my left arm whenever I moved it too much. Even though the wound had been fully healed, it still ached from time to time, and the limp still hadn't fully gone away in my leg. My hand gripped my shoulder as the pain eventually began to subside. "Owe…" I murmured and turned around to face Mashu slumped up on the side of the bed. I imagine it couldn't be that comfortable in that position…. So I took it upon myself to correct this predicament as I leaned down grasping Mashu's waist, who was still sound asleep, and I pulled Mashu up onto the bed. Mashu was surprisingly light compared to all the other times I've had to lift Mashu up, but then again Mashu wasn't wearing a truck ton of armor. As I was pulling Mashu up onto the bed a familiar feeling returned to my shoulder. I ignored it though until Mashu's entire body was on top of the bed.

"Ah, Ah, Ah!" I exclaimed as I stood up straight and grasped my shoulder as a pain went through my shoulder again. The pain subsided after a few moments and I stood there rubbing my shoulder as I looked at Mashu who now lay on the bed properly with her hand on her stomach and head turned on her side. Oh Boi if Mashu had been awake right now, she would have scolded me for straining myself. However Making Mashu comfortable was the least I could do after everything she had done for me in these past few weeks. I reached underneath Mashu and pulled the sheets back up to a point where I proceed to pull her legs back underneath the covers, and then pulled the sheets back over her, tucking her in nice and tight. There, now Mashu was nice and snug in bed and no longer in an uncomfortable position, my good deed done for the day.

With that out of the way I made my way over towards my desk, making my way around to the chair where I turned around and promptly plopped into my chair. I sat there in my chair in the dead silence of my room with little light coming in through the one window of the room as it was cloudy outside and looked like it might snow again. Nothing new there though, just a normal day in Pennsylvania. The news of the shooting over in Philly had come and gone as fast as it had happened. There was the usual garbage that came from Politicians and the talking heads on the news; however nothing came out of it since they couldn't really spin the story with so little to go on. The gunman was never captured, the only person who had killed was Katie, and while it did cause a major panic in the city, there was little for the media to go on so they had moved onto another trivial thing as they always did. Elaina had worked her magic in the end so my name never got out, I don't know how she did it, but the only victim reported was Katie and I had managed to slip under the radar. I'm sure Chaldea had pulled some strings behind the scenes, it was best not to overthink such things, I was just thankful I didn't get swarmed by reporters in the end and could continue living my peaceful life outside of work….

Well if you excluded Scathach's continued hostilities. Anyway that was all besides the point; I really needed to get started on going over the notes and documents from Lev. I reached out and grasped my desk pulling myself inwards until I was up against it. I rested my arms on the desk and looked around for where the briefcase was. It only took me a moment before I saw the briefcase lying exactly where I left it on the corner of the desk, I should have just picked it up along the way, but my mind must have blanked. I pushed my chair back and stood up; reaching over my computer I grabbed the briefcase before returning to my seat and scooting forward. I placed the briefcase in my lap and the snaps of the briefcase were heard as I opened it. Upon opening it I began shuffling through all the paperwork and folders inside before I finally just said fuck it and pulled everything out throwing it out onto the desk in front of me. Eventually everything was out of case and in front of me, and I put the briefcase off to the side. I began to shift through the paperwork; there was so much to go over! There were the folders that contained the trade offs where Amara had sold off artifacts we had recovered so she could fill her pockets to do her dirty deeds. There was also various other documents that also contained other damning evidence I could use, technically everything was here to make my case to Olga when we got back to Chaldea. The only problem was, reading it all over and making a case, I just couldn't shove it all on the Director and say: "Hey Director! Here's a whole bunch of stuff that proves one of your most trusted employees and highest ranking officer in the security force has been conspiring behind our back for years to steal the Holy Grail so she could destroy the world." Even in my mind that sounded like a hard pill for anyone to swallow. I threw the folder in my hands back down on the table and leaned back in my chair. I ran my hands through my hair as I looked over all the paperwork out in front of me.

"Where do I even start?" I murmured under my breath and scratched my head. It was out of the corner of my eye that I spotted a brown book lying amongst all of the files and folders. I leaned forward and reached for the book, and pulled it out from amongst the folders and accompanying paperwork, before leaning back into my seat. I felt something on me knee and looked down to see Shadow resting his head on my knee, I reached down and patted him. As my hand rubbed Shadow's head, I flipped the book open towards the first page with my other free hand. The first page read: "Property of Lev Lainur Flauros, Please return to the Director of the Archaeology department in the eleventh district." I flipped over to the next page and read the following:

07/16/2015

"It's been a few days now since Chaldea completed TRISMEGISTUS project and initial testing seems to show that its working successfully in conjunction with LAPLACE. These two together will help us analyze the data collected by SHIVA. Had it not been for the people at Atlas, this entire project might as well have been deemed a failure. However I digress."

"One would think there would calls for celebration now that the final piece had been completed and this organization's crowning achievement CHALDEA could now be utilized to its full potential with SHIVA, LAPLACE, and TRISMEGISTUS now in place."

"One would think wouldn't they? However reality is usually quite opposite from our expectations. Since we completed TRISMEGISTUS and can now better analyze the data from SHIVA, I have started to go through the data. Nothing at first glance seemed to be unusual however, upon further analysis I've started to notice strange phenomenon's in the data we've collected and the data seems to suggest something dangerous is threatening Humanities future."

"I brought my findings to the Director to discuss it with her per usual. I warned her of the danger that these events might pose to Humanity and suggested we take immediate action. Before the Director could agree with me there was an interjection from Chaldea's head of security Lieutenant Amara who was also attending the meeting. She had only started working here four years ago, but was she was never shy about sharing her opinion and seemed to have earned Olga's respect. Amara suggested to Olga that Chaldea's security force should be expanded and become some sort of private military that would seek out dangers to humanity and put a stop to them, as she seemed to suggest that was probably what the phenomena were. Dealing with them by brute military force was the only way she implied. I on the other hand argued that we should put more scientists and researchers into investigating these phenomena before jumping the gun however, in the end it seemed as if Amara had won out. She would get her expanded security force and be tasked with investigating threats here on Earth and dealing with them. Olga instructed me to continue my investigation and keep her up to date on whatever I had found. So that is what I would have to do until the data suggested contrary to what Amara had suggested ..."

So it would seem as if the threats to humanity were known well in advance before I even began working there, but nobody took it serious except for Lev...

Weeks had passed since I had started reading Lev's journal and going over the evidence Lev had accumulated over the years against Amara. I had even laid out everything I had gone through so far on a board that was placed in the middle drawer of my desk out of sight, for I dared not copy anything onto my computer by the chance that Amara had my computer monitored or bugged. I don't know if that was overboard paranoia, but she had sent a gunman to kill me in a city. So I don't think anything was out of the question at this point, so I don't think being paranoid was a thing. The only thing at this point she hadn't tried to do was kill me again, no hit squads had stormed my house or tried to shoot me when I got the mail. However I don't think even Amara would be that stupid to send anybody after me now that I was with Scathach and Mashu, who would easily dispatch of any regular humans that were sent after me, and I don't think Amara had her own servants….. At least I hope not, but judging as she hadn't sent them at me, I could only assume she did not.

Either way it was best to lie low here at home and not get myself into any more trouble until I got back to Chaldea and reported Amara to the Director. Until then I was stuck here at home working over these case files and hundreds of documents of evidence that Amara had been selling artifacts and doing illicit deals behind Chaldea's back. Meanwhile Christmas had finally come upon us and it was rather uneventful this year around much to my disappointment. I had never gotten the chance to go shopping while I was in Philadelphia due to almost getting killed, so I hadn't gotten a chance to buy Mashu or Scathach anything. This was all on top of the already gloomy atmosphere that still lingered since I had been shot. Mashu said she was fine now that I was home safe and sound, but I could still she was still a little bit worried and shaken up. And well Scathach, suffice to say I don't think I needed to wonder what she was thinking; she had made her thoughts quite clear already. So anyway, in the end, the only thing I managed to get Scathach and Mashu for Christmas was some Christmas cards that I dug out from some boxes and signed my name along with nice greeting as one usually does. I felt bad, but when I gave Mashu her card and explained to her that I hadn't gotten a chance to buy her anything, she accepted the card happily with a smile and said to me sweetly. "No Thank you Senpai! It's the thought that counts and I appreciate it, until I moved in with you I never got anything for Christmas! Thank you and Merry Christmas Senpai!"

Scathach on the other hand accepted the card without a word and only nodded her head in her appreciation. Which I suppose that was the best response I could have hoped for. So overall Christmas this year around was nothing really special, hopefully next year would be better. Now one might ask why I just didn't go online to Amazon to order Christmas presents and have them delivered ... and well they would certainly have a point. However such a thought had completely slipped my mind, as I had been completely absorbed in going over Lev's notes and documents. Even right now on Christmas Day, as I on the couch with Mashu resting in my lap whilst I calmly stroked her head, I was reading from Lev's Journal once more:

12/24/17

"Christmas Eve had hit the halls of Chaldea and whilst most of the staff had gone home for the Holidays, some of us still lingered amongst the halls of Chaldea. Most notable people were the Director, I, and the Head of the medical staff. Yet the good doctor has informed me that if it were not for the Director he'd be at his home down south than up here in the north freezing, which I could only chuckle in response. There was however one more who had chosen to stay at Chaldea this Christmas…"

"I saw the young Lieutenant Amara wandering the halls of Chaldea. I took it upon myself to greet her and see if I couldn't inquire into some things. When I originally walked up to her in the hall she seemed to be on edge and jumped a little when I greeted her. She was carrying a load of paperwork with her at the time. I greeted her and inquired as to why she wasn't home with her family, she deflected my question and asked me why wasn't I? I replied to her that I had no family to speak of so I usually stayed here during the Holidays. Naturally, I asked her how her investigations into the phenomena was going since observations remained unchanged with CHALDEA, she replied that everything was fine and I need not worry about it. When I inquired as to what she was doing, she told me she was doing some last minute reports before heading to bed. When I offered to carry the paperwork for her to her office, she kindly refused my offer and took off without saying another word. In her haste to take off a piece of paper had slipped out from her stack of papers. Before I could try and return it to Amara she had already taken off. However, when I examined the paper she had dropped it would appear as if it was not a report as she had said, but instead blueprints for one of our warehousing facilities. It would seem as if our head of security was up to more than just guarding the hallways or shooting bad guys..."

New years had been ushered in and was gone as fast as it had come. It was now 2026 and that meant that the next Singularity would be occurring sometime this year. Of course we would be returning to Chaldea ahead of time due to the incident almost a month ago, under the Director's order, when that would be I didn't know. Other than that, we didn't really do anything for New Years other than stay home, not like we really had much of a choice in that matter. Mashu, Shadow, and I watched from the living room window as our neighbors shot fireworks off in celebration of ushering in the New Year. It had been a little too chilly with snow still coating the ground, so we opted out from watching it out by the pond side. Scathach, well I don't know what Scathach had been doing during New Years; she had chosen not to join us in watching. Which I can't say I was really surprised, Scathach hadn't said a single word to me ever since our last conversation. If she ever needed anything at all, she told it to Mashu who passed it along to me. I'm not quite sure why she would talk to Mashu, but not me. I still recall quite vividly that Scathach almost killed Mashu in Fuyuki and would have done so without hesitation, but Mashu seemed to not hold any grudge against Scathach for what she did in Fuyuki. So I guess if Mashu wasn't bothered that it was fine, that and it made things easier for me if Mashu just conveyed what Scathach wanted. That way Scathach and I would not have to barb with each other and more than likely cause another argument at best and at worst I would be suffering another injury sooner than anticipated. Which I really did not want, my leg was still recovering and I no longer had pain in my shoulder.

So it worked out for me in the end however, I had no idea how we were going to manage in the next Singularity with the state of Scathach and I's relationship. In Orleans things had basically been loosely held together by a thin string between us, but in this next Singularity it was going to be a toss up on whether or not she even listened to me at all. I shook my head, that was just going to have to be a bridge I crossed when I came too it. For now I needed to continue going over everything, I was slowly but surely building up my case for when I talked to the Director. I was still debating on whether or not I should bring anyone else in on this as Rin had suggested, but I still hadn't made up my mind yet. If I did end up bringing anyone in, it would end up being Andersen. Andersen was one of the few men I trusted inside of Chaldea, he and I had a built deep trust with each other over the many years of working together and I knew for a fact that he couldn't be conspiring with Amara. Andersen never did see eye to eye with Amara and they had very little interaction, you could say it was a difference in the way that they commanded that set them apart. Anyway, I still wasn't sure on that. The only thing I could do right now was continue going over things to make sure my case was bulletproof.

5/20/2018

"Amara's Security forces continue to grow and with it so does the strength of the phenomena we had originally observed over three years ago. I don't know what this will mean or where or when they will take place, what I do know is that the threat against Humanity is real. I've taken this up with the Director once more and told her that if we don't take action soon it could result in a singularity which could very well threaten humanity. Amara who had now risen to the rank of Commander argued that was why Chaldea needed more men to combat this rising threat. I had come out and been blunt with her telling her that so far nothing she had done had weakened the phenomena and it had only strengthened. I argued that we needed to focus more on researching exactly what this Phenomenon was and what was the cause of it; myself and our team were not enough. Amara of course argued against the notion and pointed to several missions where they had taken down magi or groups of dangerous magi which had they been left unchecked could have threatened humanity."

"In the end Amara ended up getting what she wanted which was the expansion of Chaldea's security force as Chaldea now found itself with too many missions from the Mage Association and not enough men the Director said. More new recruits came in by chopper this morning, they had been part of Amara's joint program with the Mage Association to train mage soldiers in months instead of the usual years it took for one to complete magic training. I personally questioned the program as I felt as if it was too rushed, on top of the already questionable notion of building up a small private army."

"I had asked the Director why she always sided with Amara, and Olga told me that it wasn't that she was siding against me it's just that Chaldea was now so deep with the Mage Association that if we didn't continue to aid the Mage Association with its contracts that funding could be cut off. I sympathized with the Director although, she was still young and new to the job so the overwhelming weight of the Mage Association on top of the phenomena was too much for her to bear. The Director did however promise me that the research departments would get what had I asked for while she would continue to help to the best of her abilities in our observations…"

"But I would continue to keep my eye on Amara, as there had been more to blueprint than I had originally suspected. I would need to investigate this on my own it would seem..."

The new security forces that Lev had mentioned in this journal entry, I had been part of that new batch of recruits joining the security force. If I had known I was going to wind up getting dragged into a war to save Humanity in a plot by a high ranking Officer to end it all just so she could reach the core of the universe. I would have just hopped back on the transport helicopter and gone back home…

The Months had come and gone by since the start of the New Year and with the passing of each month we drifted further away from winter's grasp. The snow had already begun to melt from the ground letting plots of green grass peek out from underneath. Nothing of note had happened during these past few winter months as we slowly rolled into spring. Back sometime during the middle of January my car had finally been returned to me. On the day of its arrival, I stood there eagerly with Mashu waiting alongside me. The truck arrived with my Shelby and unloaded as I frantically looked it over to see if everything truly had been repaired or if they had done a half ass job, but it wasn't until the truck had left and I pulled the car into the port underneath the house did I really have a chance to look things over closely. A few minutes passed and upon closer inspection I found that the back windows had been properly replaced and put in correctly. Whilst the taillights had been replaced with the same beautiful taillights that everyone adored on the 2013 Shelby GT500 and similar models. The trunk along with any other pieces that had been riddled with bullets had also been replaced or repaired so one couldn't tell that the back of this car had eaten quite a few bullets in a firefight. Up front I took a look under the hood to see if anything had been tampered with and after spending a good portion of an hour looking things over, it would seem as if Elaina had kept any noisy mechanics out from the front-end of the car. So next time I saw her, I'd have to wind up thanking her again for helping me. I also went through the interior of the car and it would seem as if they had thoroughly cleaned it as I found no remains of broken class or bullets lodged inside. So overall, they did a pretty good job restoring my beloved car back to the way it was before some asshole riddled it with bullets. Now I could finally go further than the highway and would no longer have to rely on Gwen to get my groceries anymore…

Other than that, nothing had really happened. I had managed to make my way through February without any issues, and the dreaded day passed and went without anyone even saying a word about it. But then again with the company I was keeping it was no surprise that neither one knew nor cared about Valentines, and it was probably in that order too. I didn't ask Mashu if she knew about Valentines nor did I really want to tell her about the purpose of such a cancerous day, Mashu was certainly better off not knowing about it. Scathach, well I knew for certain that Scathach didn't care about it. Such words like love or affection were not in Scathach's dictionary for that I was certain. Either way, both accords were good in my book. I was not interested in either one of them nor was I interested in a relationship in general, in fact the idea of Scathach and I in a relationship was laughable!

Anyway with February gone and dusted with, the rainy months were now in full swing as March was upon us. I still had yet to receive any word on whence I could get my handgun back. Still no word from Chaldea either. I had better get that gun back, it's been in the family for two generations and my father would kill me if I lost it…. But it was best not to start worrying about that yet. I already had one person who was ready to kill me; thinking about others would cause my hair to go grey. I'd just have to wait patiently until I receive word to pick it up. Until then I would continue to do what I had been doing for these past three months, working over notes and reading from Lev's Journal.

I had made some significant progress building my case and sorting through things. Most if not all of the documents had been properly organized while important notes and paperwork had been pinned to the board in my drawer. Although, I don't think I was going to be to take this board with me to Chaldea. Not without Scathach or Mashu giving me funny looks. I had yet to bring either Mashu or Scathach into the fold. I didn't know whether or not I should. As I had these thoughts I paused what I was doing to put my hand over my mouth and think for a moment. I didn't know what I should do, was it too early for Mashu or Scathach to be brought into the fold or was it already too late. More importantly, should I even do it? While Mashu was a bright young girl who would no doubt back me one hundred percent, would she be able to be of much help? That might be out of Mashu's depth, things of that matter have always been beyond her level Intel in Chaldea. Perhaps I was wrong and she would be of great assistance or knew something that might help, but at this point I don't think I was ready to inform Mashu about it.

Then there was Scathach. Informing Scathach that Amara was behind the Singularity along with all of evidence Lev had collected, had crossed my mind on multiple occasions. As big of a pain in the ass she was, nobody could dispute that Scathach was extremely intelligent. More so than anybody I knew. I'm sure if I explained things to her and show her everything, that she would have put things together in a few weeks time compared to me who had been spending the past few months on it. My eyes wandered over to Scathach who was sitting where she normally was, reading a book. Logically speaking, asking Scathach for help was the best course of action since she was so knowledgeable… Logically speaking that was. However realistically I don't think Scathach would help me even if I asked for it. She would either completely ignore me or she would brush it off as if I was talking nonsense…. No it would be best if I didn't ask her for help. For now I would just continue working on my own, they'd learn about it when I informed the Director of these findings from Professor Lev. As the soothing sound of rain pelted the windows outside, I decided to take this time to continue reading. I leaned back in my desk chair and grabbed Lev's journal out from a drawer placing it into my lap where I opened it to the last page I had left off on:

04/16/2022

"My worst fears have manifested in reality. My investigation of Amara has led me to discover that all of our troubles and misfortune were due to that woman and her lies about needing more men to fight the dangers of humanity. This whole time she had been inflating the need for more manpower, when what she really needed was more men to help do her dirty work after missions."

"In the two year or so since Amara ramped up her efforts we had begun to recover vass amounts of dangerous artifacts from the mages her and her forces had taken out. In agreement with the Mage Association Chaldea would safeguard these artifacts so they could no longer threaten Humanity, as was our goal at Chaldea to safeguard Humanity against threats. At face value it all seemed well and good ..."

"But that was only at face value. Over these past six months our warehouses where we stored these dangerous artifacts were raided and several of these dangerous artifacts were stolen. Naturally now General Amara informed the Director she would personally see the artifacts retrieved. The Director on the other hand instructed Amara that she should continue focusing her efforts on carrying out missions while she would assign smaller more specialist teams from the now security department instead of Amara's Military. I'm not quite sure why the Director had chosen not to let Amara have her way, but I was glad to see the Director finally push back against Amara. However Amara still managed to convince the Director to let her have some of her forces aid in the recovery."

"While the Director turned her focus to our research I kept an eye on the recovery of the artifacts. It had been a little too suspicious that suddenly facilities that only Chaldea knew about would be raided and artifacts stolen. I had regular discussions with Commander Andersen of his team's efforts in recovering the artifacts. He and his team had been tasked with preventing any more warehouses from being raided whilst Amara had been tasked with recovery of the already stolen artifacts. Andersen from my observations was an honorable man so I trusted him, and my trust had not been displaced as he and his team had managed to successfully prevent more raids and even had even gotten some information off of some assailants. Apparently they had gathered that there was someone on the inside who had information about our warehouse and was paying people to steal artifacts for them. The security department had already begun their own investigation into it; meanwhile I already had my own investigation. I already knew who our inside source was all that was left was to confirm it."

"Meanwhile a couple months after she had begun her campaign, Amara reported that her forces had managed to recover a majority of the stolen artifacts. Unsurprisingly, none of the people that Amara and her forces had encountered whilst recovering the stolen artifacts, had survived Amara's path of carnage and destruction. Amara reported to the Director that the artifacts were being returned to secure Chaldea facilities along with handing her the paperwork. The Director acknowledged it with a wave of her hand and filed the paperwork away. However I would not so easily accept what Amara had said and took it upon myself to see if the artifacts had really been returned. Shortly after reporting their return I personally went to each one of the facilities myself to see if they had indeed been returned like she had said. As I had suspected when went over their manifest and checked to see if the items were really there, seven times out of ten the artifact in question was absent from where it should be. So Amara had flat out lied to the Director and had either not recovered the artifacts or had moved them elsewhere, but none of our facilities reported having stored them. Upon further investigation I had also learned some of the artifacts we had recovered had been artifacts that had disappeared years ago from our own facilities, not only in the past few months. No doubt Amara's had something to do with that."

"Unfortunately the Security Department's investigation would end empty handed and in tragedy. Whilst it seemed they had been close to catching the buyer of one of the artifacts after tracking down one of the thieves. The exchange ended in tragedy when one of the female operatives had been killed when she had been taken by surprise after a deal went wrong. The Buyer ended up escaping with the artifact after that along with the departments only lead. It was quite the tragedy as I heard she had been one of our department's most skilled agents. I had no doubt in my mind that Amara was responsible for her death and why it went wrong."

"After the death of the female Operative and the dead end, The Director shut down the investigation and ordered all security personal, Amara's forces included, to stand down and to return to guarding our facilities against future attacks. No more thefts or robberies followed afterwards and with it the murmurs of a traitor amongst us were soon forgotten. Whilst it had been a tragedy for our organization there was some good news to come from it. The Director informed me that Amara's forces would no longer be expanded, but reduced as we were switching our efforts and funds to researching the anomalies which had only intensified in size since then. This was a relief to hear; now we can finally find out what they really were."

"I will continue my investigation into what Amara was doing with the artifacts she had stolen and what her plan was. Could she be tied in with these anomalies CHALDEA has picked up? One could certainly not dismiss the possibility."

My hands gripped the pages tightly as I finished reading this entry. To think that all of the artifacts we had recovered from those rogue mages around the globe had been artifacts stolen right underneath our noses sold by Amara to anybody with money. At the root of all of our troubles had been Amara working behind the Organizations back for her own personal benefit. All that chaos and bloodshed, was Amara's fault. Just the thought of it all made my blood boil and I found myself gritting my teeth. I closed the book, putting it back on the desk. I usually wouldn't finish reading after only one page, but after reading this entry I think I needed to lay down for a bit….

The weeks had come and gone and Easter was now in the rearview mirror. I had finished organizing and going over all of the documents and pieces of evidence that Lev had collected in that time. They were all now properly organized and ready to be presented when the time arose to tell the Director. I had gone over everything that Lev had collected and I had tied it all together so I could present it fluidly to Director the best I could. It wasn't really as hard as I made it out to be, but it was all about presenting it properly so it didn't come out as some garbled mess as I had said before. Amara had been busy for years now working behind our backs, and there had been so much to go over, but I think that I can say with confidence that I had went over everything now. All that was left to do now was to continue reading through Lev's journal: there were still a few dozen pages to read before I was finished and I hadn't picked it up since the last entry I had read. Overall it had been a lengthy read, which was no surprise given the span of years it covered. I was personally surprised however by the amount of work Lev had put into this investigation, it would put even the most senior police investigator to shame. He put me to shame to be honest, he had been able to put all the pieces together and see that Amara had been the bad guy all along. If only I had been able to have the same hindsight and keen eye as he had... Anyways I decided to pick up on where I had left off in Lev's journal today and opened to the last page I had been on:

06/18/2022

"Whilst I admit I was at the age where one was too old to be sneaking around, I would only learn what Amara was up too by getting into her office and going through her files. So that is what I set out to do, I could not wait any longer to find out."

"I bided my time as I watched and waited, but eventually my opportunity presented itself when the Director sent Amara off on a mission to Eastern Europe. Getting into her office was easy enough for someone in my position and she had no guards waiting outside as nobody ever did. Once inside the office I went to work going through her files and computer at first finding nothing until I began to dig around a bit and it wasn't long until I found something off in her office. Hiding behind the filing cabinet was a wall safe; breaking into the safe was an easy task with magic as there had been little protection guarding it. Amara must have not been expecting anyone to be breaking into her office. Inside were stacks of folders and papers that were probably never meant to be seen. Quickly going over them I found several bank transfers and some of the real manifest that Amara had been hiding from the Director. There were various other files to go over as well. I didn't have the luxury of sitting down and reading them here so using magic I copied the documents and put the copies back in the safe whilst I took the real ones. After closing the safe and pushing the file cabinet back into place I took my leave and headed back to my office."

I flipped over to the next page to read the next entry:

07/08/2022

"It had been a lot to digest, but I finally finished going over Amara's documents and it was worse than I could have ever imagined."

"Amongst the files I had recovered was a treasure trove of bank transfers, blueprints of all of our facilities, manifest, and reports she wrote. The fate of the stolen artifacts had finally been revealed to me. After Amara recovered the stolen artifacts that were stolen from Chaldea she would ship them off to warehouses her family, the Iselma family, owned. Then there were papers showing she would turn around and sell them to interested buyers, none of which she had even bothered to check out. Amongst the files were also financial statements showing the sales that went to several bank accounts under different names. After she would sell them she would then use said funds to turn around and pay off more thieves to steal more artifacts so she could recover them and sell them off for a higher price."

"At first I thought that had been the endgame for her was to make a profit, which would make sense given how she had been cut off as the successor to her family. However I began to notice a pattern she had been moving more and more troops from one of our facilities in Antarctica to aid in her recovery efforts. No other facility had as many troops moved from it than the one down there. So I had to do a little digging through Chaldea's database to see what I could find. The base itself had been locked behind several layers of security, but fortunately I had the proper access to get in. After some time I found the manifest and attempted to gain access, only for it to be denied to me as it was locked behind Director level access. I couldn't ask the Director myself to get into it because I did not want to garner any suspicion. So I continued going through Amara's files, and I eventually stumbled upon a transfer that caught my eye. The money transfer had been on the day the young Female operative had been killed and the investigation had been shut down. However the name of the item in question was just Artifact #0001. Only until I continued reading through Amara's personal reports would I find out what she had truly been after all this time ..."

"Dear Lord, Artifact #0001 was the Holy Grail. Amara's final objective had been the Holy Grail all along. I had not even known that Chaldea had been in possession of the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail used in the Grail wars that could grant the user any wise it desired had been tucked away in secret down in our Antarctic base unknownst to anybody, I would wager even Olga had not known that Chaldea have a Holy Grail in our possession."

"If only I had known sooner I could have taken steps to prevent this from happening. But I suppose there was no point in lamenting over the past. For I must do all that I could to recover it from Amara. I do not know what Amara's intentions were, but I doubt her intentions were pure. I must find out where she is hiding it and recover it. It would be difficult however now that my hands were full investigating the anomaly that had turned into a full blown singularity that had cropped up, but I had a feeling Amara had been the cause of the singularity all along which made stopping her all that important …"

The money transfer had been on the day the Female operative had been killed…. Could it have been that...? No I couldn't be for sure…. Either way Lev had found out about the Grail a year before the First Singularity.

Rain continued to pit pat against the windows even now that it was midway through March, but that was nothing new to the Area. The rainy months continued from May all the way up until the end of June, depending on how the weather was feeling. Sometimes June would be sunny and people had their car tops down and other times you would feel like you were in London. By the looks of things it might end up being one of those rainy years for June, but as I said you could never tell. Either way it wouldn't affect my activities much since I was still slaving away at Levs journal and going over documents for a second or third time to make sure I didn't miss anything. I think that I had all of my bases covered for the most part though. There were only so many times I could read a manifest, sale, or bank statement. I also had limited resources so I couldn't cross reference and check Chaldea's own database until I got back. Only when I returned to Chaldea would I be able to find out if all of my hard work would pay off.

Other than that the only other worthy news was that I had received a call from my local police station to come and retrieve my handgun from the local station as it had been cleared of any crimes. So on one of those rainy days Mashu and I headed down to the police station where I picked my handgun up from the station. Luckily there didn't seem to be any hint that the officers at my station had known what investigation the handgun had come from so I it was no big hassle. I usually tried not to be on a first name basis with any officers of the law so there was nobody to haggle me about why I was picking up my handgun either. Mashu on the other hand had looked around the station curiously and greeted everyone with her warm smile. I did however have to politely remind Mashu not to bother any of the police officers as they were working. So after I filled out some paperwork and waited I was given back my Colt 1911. With that I thanked the officers and Mashu and I headed back to the car where I inspected the handgun to make sure it hadn't been damaged before returning home. I think Mashu had been sad to leave the city so soon, but I needed to get back to work and didn't want to stay around long enough to get shot at again. After returning home with my handgun back in safe hands, I was for the most part ready now to return to Chaldea. All that was left to do was to finish going through Lev's journal:

01/25/2023

"It is just as I had feared. Ever since Amara came into possession of the grail a few months the phenomena exploded into a full blown singularity and several more have cropped up. Chaldea has been working around the clock this past year to investigate the new singularities. To make matters worse we can no longer see humanity's future past the year 2032. This new discovery has set Chaldea into a full on panic as we scramble to try and make sense of these new revelations. So far we had gathered from these past months and years was that these irregularities were happening sometime in humanity's past and affecting our future… To think that a small phenomena years ago would have blown up into several different singularities spread out across human history and cause CHALDEA to no longer see past 2032. We still were unsure what the cause of these were or their exact times in history, but I don't think anybody will disagree with me when I say that this means Humanity will come to an end in 2032 if we don't put a stop to these singularities…"

"With the threat of human extinction, the Director has put a plan into motion. All of our efforts were now to be focused into collecting and analyzing data we gathered from the Singularities. She informed everyone that we had only a few months to find out when and where these singularities were taking place. While she would begin work on complying a list of our best mages and soldiers to be chosen for a Master and Servant pair, and she said she would enlist outside help if needed."

"At first I had expressed my doubts of enlisting outside help, but I realized if the Director got outside help from mages that not be a bad thing. It means they wouldn't be under Amara's influence. Amara had offered to comply the list herself and choose out the best from her forces however, the Director declined her offer. I can only assume the Director has begun to distrust her or perhaps the Director is still weary of everyone after the robberies and thefts a year ago. Either way that was a good thing, it meant Amara could not put her own people into the ranks of Masters. This also meant that the FATE project would be used once more, which it had remained unstable ever since its completion in 2006. The Director informed me that a team of engineers were now working around the clock to stabilize the system and have it prepared by the time of the summons. Still I wonder if things would be any different than before. The Director concluded the meeting by telling us that we would need to be prepared for the summoning sometime this year and informed me that we must be prepared to rayshift by early next year. This came as a bit of a shock to me as rayshifting still hadn't been fully tested, but I had my orders and we were dismissed."

"Once the meeting had concluded we had all left the meeting room and went our separate ways. Or I should say some of us did. These past few months I devoted much of my time in between studying the singularities to trying to track down where Amara was hiding the grail which had so far proved difficult. I think that Amara knows that someone has caught onto what she has been up too, I often find myself under the watchful eyes of guards and I even once came back to my office to find it had been ransacked. Luckily none of those buffoons could find where I was keeping Amara's documents and my notes on her. That was the problem when you rushed magic training; it was like giving one a gun with no beforehand experience and telling them to go take a heavily fortified hill. I choose not to report the ransacking of my office to security to not attract any suspicion, but I've moved all of my notes and documents to my old office at Rocky Roads to be safe."

"Perhaps it was because of my empty handiness in finding the grail, but once Amara had departed from the group I decided to accompany her back to her office, and with a little clever maneuvering on my part I brought us through one of the least traversed halls of Chaldea. At first it was a polite chat we had with one another, but once I was sure no one was around, I asked her, "Don't you think it's time you return the grail Amara and stop these dangerous activities once and for all before someone gets hurt." At first Amara played dumb and pretended to not know what I was talking about, but once I confronted her with the facts of her misdeeds over the past few years and that she had stolen Chaldea's Holy Grail, her face turned serious and the environment turned hostile. I pleaded with Amara to return the grail to where it belonged and I would not tell the Director of what she had done, but Amara would not be reasoned with. She gave me a disgusted look and told me off about how she knew that someone had been sticking their nose where it didn't belong, but just didn't think it would be some weakling like myself. It was there where she proceeded to threaten me saying that "Unless you want to experience a hypovolemic shock secondary to dismemberment, I suggest you keep your mouth shut and mind your own business. There's nothing you can do to stop me, and if you try anything I'll make sure you die a gruesome death. Nobody will even bother to question your death as suicides that look like murders are all too common in the world of mages.""

"Suffice to say it wasn't a pleasant discussion that was for sure, but I remained unfazed by her ugly demeanor and violent threats as I stood there listening to her. There wasn't another word said after and she saw that I had remained unfazed by her threats, so she took off down the hall whilst I watched her storm off. Despite her threats I must continue my search to try to find the grail since she wouldn't hand it over, before she can cause even more damage ..."

Amara was willing to destroy the world, so making gruesome threats came as no surprise. I read through the next few pages that were notes of Lev's continued efforts to find the grail despite Amara's threat and his notes on the Singularity.

09/22/2024

"Despite my best efforts I have been unable to find where Amara has stashed the grail; things had been made even harder now that Amara knew I was watching her. It had been my observation however, that Amara seemed to be treading even more carefully. Amara knew that I had held just as much power here at Chaldea as she did, so I think she knew that had she murdered me the Director would have launched a full investigation into everyone including her. So she knew her threat had little weight behind it. Amara avoided me whenever possible since our last conversation and during meetings she would do her best to avoid contact with me. I would only smile at her innocently, for it must be torture to know that any minute I could turn to the Director and tell her everything I knew. Her fears were not misplaced; however I didn't want to tell the Director yet as the arrest of Amara might possibly might cause a revolt from her loyal soldiers. Chaldea really could not afford to have a revolt and bloodshed at this point when humanity's future brinked upon extinction with each passing day."

"Humanity's extinction was however, finally upon us. As the first singularity was now only a week away and the Director had recalled the Master and his servant so they would soon be back. It would seem as if Amara had no intention of stopping even if that meant the destruction of humanity so we must go back and stop whatever it was that she was doing. I still do not know why or what she is doing, but so far we have determined that the dates and locations of the first singularity with the second one soon to follow. Whatever it was that she was doing, she had to be stopped. She would be the death of us all if she had not been stopped. I can only hope that the Masters and their servants will be able to stop the singularity and thus stop her. I must support them to the best of my ability and see them through this first singularity. If the masters survive this first singularity and stop it, I must tell Olga what Amara has been doing. This charade has gone on for long enough ..."

I flipped the page over and was greeted by a blank page, continuing over the next few pages only lead to more blank pages. It would appear as if I had reached the end of Lev's journal and thus the end of his investigation as the journal's last entry was days before the first Singularity and his untimely demise. If he had not been killed, he would have told the Director about Amara's long history of treachery and betrayal of the Organization however, it would appear as if not even he had thought Amara would go as far to include bombing her own workplace to try and stop the rayshift. If only he had been able too, then this all could have been avoided sooner. Lev had placed the last of his faith in us however, so I must pick up where he left off and bring Amara to justice. With a weary sigh I closed Lev's journal which had been the last thing that I needed to go over…

With the close of the journal there was a sudden a ringing that filled my ears, jerking me from my thoughts. I looked around my desk too see my phone vibrating violently next to my computer with the screen brightly flashing letting me know I had a call. I reached out and grasped my phone bringing it up to my ear after I tapped the answer button.

"Good afternoon Christopher." The calm voice of the Director came through.

"Hello Director, Good afternoon to you as well. It is afternoon there isn't it?" I answered.

"Yes it is afternoon." The Olga replied. "I assume that you know why I am calling?" Olga inquired.

"Yes of course Director." I replied. "I had thought that perhaps you had forgotten about me though." I said as it had been a whole six months since I had last spoken with her.

"No don't be stupid." Olga said. "I had just thought that there was no need for me to pull you here so quickly as you were home safe with your servants. Given that I've heard no troubling news about you, I assumed that I need not worry so much." Olga said.

"That would certainly be correct Director, I've been a good boy and stayed home." I replied. "Mashu doesn't allow me to leave her sight." I added and I heard a slight chuckle.

"Well someone has to watch you, so it's only natural it would be Mashu." Olga said. "I can assume that your injuries are fully healed then?" Olga inquired.

"More or less Director." I replied truthfully. "I don't feel pain in my shoulder any longer and my limp went away a few months ago. Every now and then there is a slight pain, but less so as every week passes. I've been taking it easy so you don't have to worry about me." I said.

"That's good to hear, Doctor Roman will still be looking you over when you return of course." Olga said. "We wouldn't want any incidents during the next singularity would we?" Olga added sternly.

"No of course not Director, I understand completely." I said in an understanding tone.

"Good I'm glad you understand. Now pack your bags and expect a car to pick you up tomorrow." Olga instructed.

"Yes Director, I'll get packed immediately and we'll be ready by tomorrow." I said.

"Excellent I'll be seeing you soon…" Olga said before trailing off for a moment before continuing. "...And Christopher, I'll be awaiting the conversation you wanted to have with me. I'm curious as to what you wish to discuss."

"Of course Director. Trust me when I say the matter I wish to discuss is of great importance..."

* * *

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	15. Chapter Fifteen The Ride Back

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The Ride Back**

* * *

Gliding through the air soared a large black bag. As it landed onto the bed, you could hear the shifting of the sheets. Now rippled because of the impact, the bag solely sat in the center of the bed. I motioned over towards the bag, opened it up and profusely began filling the innards with the select bits of clothing I had in mind. Per usual, I wasn't informed by the director whether or not the next singularity would be an immediate mission or there would be a down time period. So it's safe to assume it's the latter and it's not time yet for me to depart and that I better pack accordingly. Naturally among the essentials, I'll need to bring the evidence to prove Amara's guilt along with me, that's more important than anything else. I spent a substantial amount of time putting together this presentation for the director, I can't afford to let it go to waste. Those would be going into a fireproof briefcase, I couldn't afford to take any risks by just shoving them into my bag. So it seemed like I'd be hauling quite the luggage with me this trip around. My bag now packed with all the essentials and the documents and casefiles locked tightly away in the briefcase, all that I needed to do now was get my handgun and tell the others to pack their bags for tomorrow….

I turned around and faced the other side of the room where my eyes slowly drifted across the bookshelf towards the corner of the room where the window and chair were located. Sitting where one might expect to find her, sat Scathach in her chair, book in hand and teacup by her side. Even when her and I could barley stand the sight of one another, I still had to admit that she always managed to remain elegant looking in her black stockings and peach colored turtleneck.

Perhaps it was due to her life as a queen that she always maintained a constant state of elegance about her at all times. However I'm sure I was about to see her inelegant side as soon as I spoke a single word to her, as was accustomed to our interactions nowadays. This would be the first time I had spoken to her properly since that time after I got shot. I made my way over to her and stood over her for a few moments before deciding to interrupt her.

"Ahem Scathach. Whilst I hate to interrupt you in the middle of your reading, I must regrettably do so to inform you that you need to get ready and pack your things. We'll be returning to Chaldea tomorrow." I said clearing my throat before proceeding to rest my hands on my hips as I looked down at her. Scathach didn't bother looking up at me in her reply as she kept her eyes in her book as they darted across the page.

"Whilst I'm sure you do not regret interrupting me while I am reading…" Scathach said and I furrowed my eyebrows at her in response. "I will nonetheless get ready once I have finished reading this book."

"If we wait for you to finish that book we'll be here for another two thousand years. We don't have that kind of time." I said. Scathach narrowed her eyes not at me, but at the pages themselves as perhaps she did not want to look directly at me.

"I have already read more than half of the books on your shelves and added more to your collection so I can assure you that it will not take me two thousand years to complete a few chapters" Scathach replied with a scoff. "But if it did I would still be here whilst you would not." Scathach said casually which caused me to grunt.

"You seem to forget that if you were to sit here and continue to read for two thousand years you would only get so far as seven years before we all die if not sooner. Since we have no idea what will happen if we fail to stop a singularity or miss one." I said with outstretched arms. "I assume just die earlier than expected." I added.

"Yes I am painfully aware of that fact. My fate has been shackled to your fate and thus must follow you wherever you. For If I do not I will meet the same fate as you, but you do not seem particularly concerned about either one of our fates." Scathach said which caused me to furrow my eyebrows at her in reply. "As you have done much of what I have these past few months: Sit in a corner doing little if nothing at all other than stare at words on paper." Scathach said. "Not something someone who is concerned with the end of the world, might be doing." Scathach added.

"I haven't been doing "nothing"." I said, and it was now my turn to narrow my eyebrows. "I've been busy working on something these past few months." I scoffed.

"So I've noticed, but on what exactly? For all I know, you've been writing down the same sentence repeatedly." Scathach said.

"No I haven't." I protested. "I've been working on something related to work, its very important!" I exclaimed.

"Like what? Usually said work is done on your computer." Scathach pointed out.

"It's not something I can talk about right now, you'll learn about it in due time." I replied.

"Ah, more of your secrets! How delightful!" Scathach said as she gave off a delighted smile that was more mocking than anything else. "You are quite good at having those, aren't you?" Scathach added much to my annoyance. I raised my hands to my head and ruffled my hair at her in frustration, as it was the only real thing I could do at this point.

"Uggghhhh, how long do you intend to keep this up Scathach?" I demanded.

"Whatever do you possibly mean Christopher? Keep what up?" Scathach replied innocently as she flipped a page over in her book. I opened my mouth prepared to tell her, she damn well knew what I meant, but closed my mouth as quickly as I had opened it. It would only wind up turning into another shouting match, and that wasn't really how I wanted to spend my last day home. So I wound up throwing up my hands in defeat before turning around.

"Forget I said anything. Just make sure you pack your bags whenever you're done reading…" I said over my shoulder as I proceeded to walk out of the room scratching my head in frustration. Roman was right, this partnership is going to be the death of me…

That had gone about as well as one might have expected it would, but at least it didn't end in an argument or punching match. So I guess you could say that it was the best possible outcome. I exited out of the hallway into the living room where I was greeted by a brighter and fresher atmosphere. Quite literally, inside my room the only light that came through was the one window by Scathach's chair and the stuffiness could get a little bit overwhelming especially with Scathach's presence. So getting out into the living room every now and then was always a breath of fresh air, although I wish I could actually get outside. Mashu was quite insistent that I limit my activities outside to getting the mail and taking the dog out, all the while Mashu accompanied me whenever I did either of those activities. So leaving the house was more hassle than it was worth, but I digress.

I turned my attention to the couch where I found said person in question, as she was sitting there with controller in hand as she played video games on my TV. Mashu eventually noticed that I was staring at her and placed the controller down on the table before turning her attention to me. Mashu gave me a warm smile as she greeted me.

Mashu was wearing a black sweater with a pair of matching black stockings and checkered black and grey skirt as it was relatively cold in the house.

"Good evening Senpai!" Mashu greeted me. "How are you? Getting some fresh air?" Mashu inquired with a bit of a chuckle.

"I'm doing well, and yeah you could say that. It does get a bit stuffy in there." I said jokingly as I pulled on my sweater and Mashu giggled. "How about you, what are you up too?" I asked.

"Oh I've just been playing some video games on your Xbox." Mashu said motioning her head towards the TV, looking over I saw one of my RPG games paused on the screen. I turned my attention back to Mashu as she turned her attention back at me as well.

"I didn't know you were into Role playing games Mashu?" I inquired.

"Hmm Role playing games? Is this what this is? It seemed like just a fighting game." Mashu said as she rose a finger to her chin. "I don't know if I'd say I'm into any particular type of game yet. I just picked this up and started playing it because it looked interesting." Mashu explained.

"Ah I see." I said. "Well It's a fighting game, but there's an exploration and heavy story aspect to it which makes it a role playing game." I explained and Mashu's eyes widened as she nodded in understanding.

"I see! Do you think you could play with me Senpai?" Mashu begged. "I've been struggling to get the hang of the game!" Mashu exclaimed wide eyed.

"Well I actually came out to tell you something Mashu." I said and Mashu tilted her head at me.

"Oh? What did you need to tell me Senpai?" Mashu inquired looking at me inquisitively.

"I came out here to tell you that we'll be returning to Chaldea tomorrow." I said. "So you should get whatever you plan on taking with you today." I added. A frown encroached on Mashu's lips and her eyebrows furrowed as I finished.

"Okay Senpai, I understand…." Mashu replied nodding her head.

"Is something wrong Mashu?" I asked. "You're looking down all of a sudden." I pointed out.

"Oh well…. It just seems like this year flew by so quickly and we didn't get to really do anything at all." Mashu explained. "Especially after your incident in Philadelphia." Mashu added. A soft smile formed on my lips as I walked up to where I placed my hand on top of her head and rubbed it affectionately. Which caused Mashu to look up at me in surprise.

"I know Mashu… Next year after we've completed the singularity we'll do fun stuff, okay?" I said as I continued to rub her head. Mashu's frown transformed into a smile as she nodded her head.

"O-Okay Senpai, but you have to promise me we'll do something fun next year!" Mashu exclaimed with raised fist.

"Of course Mashu, I promise you we'll do something fun together!" I said reaffirming my words.

"Pinky Promise?" Mashu asked and I could only let out a soft chuckle in response at Mashu's childish request.

"Yes, of course Mashu." I said as I let go of Mashu's head and got down on one knee before holding out my pinky. Mashu reached out and we interlocked pinkies. "I pinky promise Mashu we'll do something fun next year." I said shaking pinkies with Mashu.

"I'm looking forward to it Senpai." Mashu said with a warm smile which I returned her warm smile.

"Why don't you go pack your bags and when you're finished, I'll show you the ropes of the game." I said as I stood up and patted Mashu on the back signaling her too get on it.

"Okay Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed happily as she stood up and rushed off into the hallway. "I'll be back in a few minutes! So you better be ready Senpai!" Mashu threw over her shoulder before disappearing into the bedroom.

"I'll be here waiting." I said watching her disappear before I took a seat down on the opposite side of the couch. I reached out and grabbed the controller from the table before leaning back into the couch with controller in hand. I unpaused the game to see the roleplaying game in question was Fable III and began to pick up on where Mashu had left off, as I actually needed to remember how to play the game myself. So I better figure it out in the next few minutes before Mashu finished packing unless I wanted to make a fool out of myself in front of Mashu.

Mashu had certainly been true to her word and was back in the living room within a few minutes. After confirming that Mashu had indeed packed her bags and was ready for tomorrow, Mashu took her besides me. I then proceeded to explain Mashu the basic controls of the game and how to open up the menu and quest markers and from there on out Mashu and I spent the rest of the evening and late into the night playing video games together...

"That was fun." I murmured as I sat there looking up at the ceiling whilst in bed. Mashu and I had spent most of the night playing Fable, but later on we switched over to one of my Forza's games and raced one another. Mashu wasn't very good at Forza, but I think she had fun which was all that mattered. So the last night home had at least been spent doing fun stuff, before everything would be turned upside down on its head when we got back to Chaldea. It was impossible to predict how things will go down when I told the Director of Amara's treachery, but I think I could make a pretty solid case. We'll just have to wait and see. I suppose it would be too much to hope that we would no longer have to fight the singularities, but I couldn't be for certain until Amara was in custody. Assuming that I manage to convince the Director to arrest Amara and we manage to stop her…. But I should probably stop thinking about it and try to get some sleep; otherwise this would be a sleepless night. With that I closed my eyes and tried to get whatever sleep I could before the troubles I would have to face ahead...

The Following Day.

The trunk slammed shut on the back of the four door sedan as I finished putting our bags away inside. I looked up at my house as I doubt I would be seeing it for several months, even longer depending on how long this next singularity took. The last one went on for a period of two weeks, so who knows how long this next one could last. The singularity was the least of my worries right now, as I had to face the Director when I returned to Chaldea. There was so many things to do nowadays, I wish that I had never complained about sitting at my desk job doing nothing. We had said our farewells to Shadow at the door, and I had let Gwen know that I would be away for a few months and to please look after him. It was always sad when I had to leave home, but it was something I had grown accustomed too. I could tell though that Mashu didn't want to leave, as she had grown attached to her new home and had looked at the house for several minutes before getting into the car. From what little I knew about Mashu I knew she had spent most of her life at Chaldea, so I can only assume she was never excited about going back to that Icy Hellhole up in the North of Canada. I didn't blame her, Raelin also hated being stuck up there year round with nothing to do but stare at the never ending snowstorm that raged outside. I could only imagine how miserable it might be to spend most of your life up there. While I did love the cold and snow, the constant days without sun at Chaldea was a little too much, even for me. Putting these thoughts aside I made my way over to the passenger car door where my gloved hands gripped the door handle, but stopped short. I looked back at the house one last time, and a gust of wind brushed across me as I stood there wondering if this would be the last time I would see my home. I would usually never think about it, but this time I just didn't know with Amara and all that was going on. Who knows what would happen, but I guess I'd never find out standing here staring at my house. I opened the car door and ducked inside before slamming it shut once more. The car took off at the slam of my door and we were off….

The car slowed down into a full stop on the tarmac as we had reached the Airport. Looking outside, I saw the same VTOL waiting to take us away to Chaldea. I gripped the door handle and pushed the door outwards. Once the car door had opened I stepped out onto the tarmac before turning around. I held out my hand to Mashu who was getting out of the car just as I got out, Mashu looked up to see my hand and she smiled upon seeing my offered hand.

"Thank you Senpai." Mashu said as she accepted my hand with a nod of her head. I assisted her in getting out of the car until she was up on her feet.

"No problem Mashu, go on ahead. I'll get our bags." I said and Mashu nodded her head in understanding. Mashu made her way over to the VTOL as I made my way to the back of the car and popped the trunk open. As I grabbed our bags a hand slid past me and I felt someone brush up against me roughly.

"I could have gotten your bag you know." I said looking over at her, however Scathach paid my glance little mind as she went onto to grab the handle of her bag.

"I can get my bags myself." Scathach scoffed as she grabbed her black bag before standing up right. I watched as Scathach made her way over to the VTOL before grabbing the handle of the cargo door and pulling it back.

Scathach put her bag away under the seat before climbing inside and taking her seat. "That woman. I swear!" I murmured under my breath as I turned my attention forward and grabbed the rest of the bags. I slid the strap of my bag over my shoulder and grabbed Mashu's bag in my other hand. Lastly I grabbed the briefcase and lifted it out of the trunk with my remaining free hand. With bags in hand I pushed the trunk closed with my elbow. I made my way over to Mashu who had stood there patiently waiting for me. Mashu greeted me with a warm smile as I walked up to her.

"Got everything Senpai?" Mashu asked.

"Yeah I believe so." I said as I handed Mashu her bag, which Mashu in turn took off my hands.

"Alright then! We wouldn't want to delay any longer; it's a long trip back as you know!" Mashu said.

"Oh trust me I'm all too aware of this trip, and I think I'll be doing like I do every time I take this trip." I said as I climbed inside. Behind me I heard Mashu climb inside and from there I slid my bag underneath the seats before taking my seat across from Scathach. Mashu slid her bag underneath the seat and took her besides Scathach before reaching out and grasping the door handle and proceeded to slide the door shut.

It took a few minutes before we actually took off and were in the air. I looked out the window and watched as the ground below became distant as we ascended further into the sky. There was a rumble as the VTOL changed modes and soon the ground had become nothing more than a speck. I pulled my gaze from the window and faced forward to see Mashu looking directly at me.

"Ahem Senpai, don't you think you should put your briefcase away?" Mashu inquired as she raised her hand to her mouth clearing her throat. "Wouldn't it be more comfortable as well?" Mashu added. I looked down at the briefcase containing all of Lev's documents and my casefiles, which I was gripping firmly in my lap before looking back up at Mashu.

"Oh um, No Thanks Mashu." I said waving my hand dismissively. "I'm fine, so no need to worry about me." I added. There was no way I was going to let this briefcase disappear from my sight, least alone I forget about it when we return to Chaldea. Mashu looked unconvinced but ended up reluctantly nodding her head.

"Alright… If you say so Senpai." Mashu said. "So If I may ask, did the Director say anything else to you in the conversation you had with her?" Mashu inquired.

"No, the Director didn't mention anything else in our call." I replied. "It was a rather short conversation, so nothing much of importance was discussed." I added.

"I see." Mashu murmured. "So would I be correct in assuming no details about the next singularity were discussed?"

"That would be correct." I said and Mashu furrowed her eyebrows.

"Hmm that's a bit frustrating…" Mashu murmured as she cupped her chin.

"I'm sure the Director or someone will fill us in on the details of the upcoming singularity." I said reaching out across the cabin and patting her on the head. "For now I think we're just going to be chilling at Chaldea until the singularity crops up." I added.

"Well that's good, I'm glad we'll get some more downtime before things get hectic." Mashu said with a soft smile.

"In the meantime, I think I'll take this time to sleep." I said crossing my arms as I leaned back in my chair trying to get as comfy as possible. "Wake me when we get there…"

Suddenly I was jolted awake as my body jerked upwards and my head slammed into the top of the cabin. I slammed back down into my seat as gravity pulled me back down to Earth. I raised my hand up to my head and proceeded to scratch the spot where I had hit my head. I winced as I slowly opened my eyes to see what exactly was causing such a commotion to cause me to hit my head.

"Jesus what kind wind turbulence are we going through?" I murmured as my eyes opened revealing the dimly lit cabin in front of me. However something was immediately off as there were red lights flashing and Mashu was kneeling in front of me looking at me with a worried expression. To top it all off the ringing in my ears finally subsided and was soon replaced by a low blaring noise. "This is more than just a little turbulence isn't it?"

"Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed as she gripped my shoulders shaking me. "Senpai are you alright?!" Mashu exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah I'm alright Mashu, but if you keep shaking me so violently I think I might just vomit." I said and the shaking subsided as I told her that.

"Sorry Senpai…" Mashu murmured retracting her hands to her side. "But something terrible has happened! All of a sudden the aircraft shook violently and now red lights are flashing along with the constant blaring!" Mashu exclaimed. "Scathach went up front, but she hasn't come back to tell me what's wrong!" Mashu said and I scratched my head. So much for a peaceful ride back.

"Alright hold on Mashu, let me go up front and check in with Scathach." I said as I lifted the briefcase off of my lap and placed it in the seat next to me. I stood up and ducked my head to not hit my head on the cabin roof, as one could not find much head room in the cramped cabin of a VTOL. I crouch walked my way across the cabin to the other side, struggling to keep my balance along the way to the front of the VTOL as it was in a constant state of shakiness. Eventually I made my way through the short corridor that separated the passenger area from the cockpit. On the civilian version of the V-280 the seats were placed facing across from one another instead of back to back in the middle and there were no machinegun placements, which I think overall made reaching the cabin less difficult. "Scathach is everything o…." I said as I poked my head into the cockpit, but was greeted by a gruesome sight instead. Lights were flashing across all consoles, and a bullet hole had shattered the left cockpit window. I looked to my side to see the pilot slouched forward in his seat either unconscious or dead. Given the bullet hole I would assume the later. "...Okay?"

"Do things look okay?!" Scathach exclaimed. My attention snapped to my right where I found Scathach sitting in the co-pilot seat, her hands firmly gripping the stick as she pulled it towards her. Scathach glanced at me angrily out of the corner of her eye before directing her attention forward.

"N-No?" I exclaimed. "What the hell happened!?" I demanded.

"What does it look like happened!" Scathach exclaimed back at me. "The pilot's been shot!"

"I can see that!" I snapped. "But how did that happen, it's physically impossible!" I exclaimed.

"Well apparently not, because it just happened." Scathach retorted and I winced. It was hard to argue that when the scene was right in front of me…

"Senpai, is everything alright?" Mashu's voice came from behind and I snapped around to see Mashu crouching at the entrance to the corridor. Mashu had a worried expression on her face and I imagined it matched my own.

"Uh… No not really." I replied, not sure how best to tell Mashu. "The pilot's dead and we're currently in a steep decline downwards… to the ground." I said and Mashu's face grimaced as I finished my sentence. There were many ways I could have put that, but that certainly hadn't been the best way, but it was too late to take back my words. I spun around and faced the front once more as I reached around the pilot's corpse for the buckle to his harness. Upon finding it I pressed down on the button and the buckle began to retract back to its original position, along with it the pilot's body slouched even further forward.

"Woah!" I exclaimed as I grasped the corpse and pulled it back. I gripped the pilots shoulder and began pulling him backwards until I get my arms underneath his armpits. From there on out I pulled the rest of his body out from the seat and out into the corridor where I set it down onto the floor. When I looked up I saw Mashu looking down at the corpse horrified. I pushed myself up from the kneeling position and Mashu looked at me with a deeply worrisome expression.

"Senpai, what are we gonna do?" Mashu asked. I looked at Mashu as the gears turned inside about what we were gonna do about current situation, and it was then when an object caught my attention back in the passenger cabin. I pushed past Mashu back down the corridor into the helicopter and behind me I heard Mashu's footsteps as she followed me. I stopped once I reached the back and grasped the handle of the briefcase that was still sitting in the middle seat before swinging around to face Mashu.

"Well what I want you to do is sit down right here." I said as I grasped Mashu's shoulder and pushed her down in the middle seat. I strapped Mashu in firmly and placed the briefcase in her lap. "I want you to stay put right here and whatever you do, do not let go of this briefcase." I said wagging my finger at her. "Protect this briefcase with your life Mashu, as of right now this briefcase is more important than even my own life. Sit here, stay put, and protect this briefcase no matter what happens. Even if I'm in danger or die, do not let go of this briefcase or let it out of your sight. Am I understood?" I said with a raised finger. Mashu grimaced as I gave her these orders and her mouth opened to protest.

"But…" Mashu said before being shot down.

"NO buts Mashu. I'm serious, this is an order. Protect this briefcase no matter the cost. Am I understood?" I asked once more. Mashu looked like she was about to protest further, but closed her mouth and reluctantly nodded her head in understanding.

"Yes, I understand." Mashu replied bitterly.

"Good, Now I'm going to go up front. Scathach and I will figure something out." I said before swinging around. I rushed back towards the Scathach as fast as I could…

I ducked my head as I entered the cockpit and I hopped over the middle console into the pilot's seat. Once I situated myself into the pilot's seat I pulled the harnesses around my arms and strapped myself in with a snap. I just hoped I didn't meet the fate of the pilot before me or worse...

"I'm glad you could finally join me. The situation hasn't grown any less dire in your absence." Scathach retorted. I looked to my side to see Scathach still firmly pulling on the stick to try and keep us afloat, and I returned my attention forward to look at my own stick. I reached out and grasped it firmly before I pulled the stick towards my own body as well, just to be on the safe side of things.

"I can see that the situation hasn't improved." I replied. "Well actually I can't see much of anything with blood splattered over the touch screen." I said looking down at the full LCD screen that spanned the lower half of the cockpit which had spots of blood across much of it; add to that was the blood splattered across the upper windows where the bullet had entered through the glass.

"Just wipe it off ya dobber!" Scathach exclaimed.

"I don't want to casually wipe it off!" I said finding myself in somewhat of a panic. "What happens if I hit a wrong button by accident?" I exclaimed.

"Then we'll crash and die." Scathach replied casually. "But do nothing except sit with ya thumb up your ass and we still crash and die!" Scathach barked at me.

"Fine, Fine! Then give me your scarf and I'll wipe it off!" I said holding out my hand.

"What do you need my scarf for? Just wipe it off with your hand!" Scathach said.

"If I use my hand, I'll just smudge the blood all over the screen!" I replied back at her.

"FINE!" Scathach said as she tugged on her scarf until it untangled itself from around her neck. Scathach then proceeded to throw the scarf in my face which caused me to grunt as I pulled the scarf from my face. I leaned forward and brought the scarf up to the window where I began wiping away at the blood, which the scarf absorbed rather easily. Once the blood was gone from the windows I moved to the display screen in front of me. By the time I had wiped all of the blood obscuring my vision and important bits, Scathach's black scarf had become soaked in crimson. I handed Scathach back her scarf and she looked at it before taking it with a grunt where she placed it in her lap.

"It's essentially ruined at this point." Scathach murmured which only caused me to grumble in response.

"Oh stop whining will you? If we survive this I'll buy you as many scarfs as you want." I retorted.

"So, do you have a plan on exactly how we're going to get out of this situation?" Scathach went onto ask. "More importantly do you even know how to fly this thing?" Scathach added.

"Umm… well no… I know how to build aircraft not fly them." I murmured as I looked over the dash with its many flashing lights and displays. "I mean I have some experience with flight simulators, but nothing as complex as the real life thing. So I don't think that really counts…." I added.

"So essentially you're useless." Scathach grunted with a roll of her eyes.

"Excuse me?" I scoffed in reply. "And what about you? Do you know how to fly this thing Ms. Know It All?" I asked in return and Scathach winced in reply.

"I'm afraid that flying an aircraft is not something I'm very knowledgeable in." Scathach replied bitter in her response.

"Hmmm what was that?" I said with raised eyebrows. "Did you just say you don't know how to fly an aircraft? Is it possible the all knowing Scathach doesn't know something after all?" I said.

"Yes you fucking git, that's what I said." Scathach growled. "I don't know how to fly an aircraft, let alone a helicopter."

"It's a VTOL, and why not?" I demanded. "You're two thousand years old and you've never bothered to learn how to fly an aircraft?" I added.

"Aviation has only been around for a mere one hundred and twenty two years out of my two thousand year life span, and practical air travel even less so." Scathach retorted. "And in that time period, aviation has evolved drastically. Even if I had learned how to fly, I don't think I'd have been prepared to learn how to fly a Helicopter!" Scathach exclaimed.

"IT'S A VTOL!" I replied.

"WHATEVER!" Scathach exclaimed.

"Well maybe instead of reading whatever it is that you read, you should have read some educational books." I said. "LIKE ONE ON HOW TO FLY!" I added.

"AND WHAT ABOUT YOU?" Scathach yelled back at me with a raised eyebrow. "It was not a skill I deemed important up until now, but you on the other hand should have maybe took some flying lessons instead of sitting on your ass twiddling your thumbs at your computer." Scathach said. "You might even have found it useful in your encounter with Alter Jeanne back in Orleans." Scathach added. I scoffed and was about to rebuke her when a voice interrupted the both of us.

"Senpai, Scathach! Please stop fighting long enough to put us down on the ground safely!" Mashu cried out from behind us.

Mashu was right; we were bound to crash into a mountain at the rate we were going. Scathach and I let out a low pitched growl at one another before diverting our attention forward once more. I looked across the digital dashboard scanning it for anything I could familiarize myself with. There were some obvious things that stuck out at me, like the altitude, speedometer, compass, and fuel tank indicators. However outside of that I was flying into outside territory. There however one extra thing that stuck out at me and that was the map situated on the right hand side of me. I reached out until my fingertips touched the screen and pinched the map on screen dragging it over to the center where I spread my fingers out enlarging the map until it was large enough to read for the both of us.

"Well by the looks of things, we're not that far out from Chaldea." I said pointing to the map in the middle of the screen. It showed the VTOL's location on the map and then there was a line that was the indicated flight path. "However it does seem like we've fallen quite a bit off the flight path."

"So it would seem, the only problem now is getting back on it…." Scathach murmured as her eyes drifted across the screen. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw that her eyes suddenly widened. "... Watch out there's a mountain." Scathach exclaimed as she pointed at the screen. Past all of the widgets and maps was a night vision layout of the area in front of us and right in front of us was a mountain! My attention snapped upwards off the screen to see the actual mountain before us.

"OH SHIT!" I exclaimed as I pulled hard left on the stick. The craft responded to my movements and we veered hard left, sending the whole aircraft into a tilt. As we flew over the mountain, narrowly dodging slamming into it, the craft shook violently as we came over the other side and I had feared we might lose control from the mountain winds alone. We miraculously managed to retain control of the aircraft without going into a spin followed by a dive to our doom. "Okay let's just even her out." I said as I pulled the stick back to the center and saw Scathach do the same or perhaps it was just that her stick copied my own. Either way we leveled the craft out and returned to a normal flight as I pulled the stick a little to the left trying to get us back to the flight path.

"I thought you said you didn't know how to fly?" Scathach asked turning to me.

"I don't, but it doesn't take a genius to know that the stick controls which direction you want to go." I said as I reached out and tapped on a few of the flashing icons dismissing them. "It doesn't seem like anything was damaged when the pilot got shot, so as long as we don't crash into any mountains. We should be able to just follow the flight path the rest of the way there and we shouldn't have any problems." I said and Scathach let out a grunt.

"Until we have to land." Scathach said as she brushed the hair out of her eyes. I could only wince at the thought of landing. "For now let's just focus on flying though and not dying." Scathach said trying avoid thoughts about landing as well. "Also get all this crap off my screen will you!"

"Geez, how lazy can you be?" I asked which earned me a scoff. "It's like a tablet Scathach, just drag and drop things where you want them to go." I said as I moved the panels off to the side, allowing me to see the night vision layout in front of me. Off to my side I saw Scathach begrudgingly do the same. From there we redirected our attention to trying to keep this aircraft in the sky until we got to Chaldea…

It was thirty minutes of hellish flying through the night sky in a snowstorm, before we finally saw the flashing red and white lights of Chaldea's complex.

There had been a few more harrowing escapes from crashing as mountain winds would repeatedly thrash into the side of the VTOL sending us into a panic. Other than that we had basically kept the craft flying straight and steady along the flight path. I think I even heard Scathach breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing Chaldea.

"So you know we have to land now right?" Scathach voice said from my side. I winced at the thought of how exactly we were going to land.

"Yeah no shit, I just haven't gotten that far ye….." I said just before the VTOL was rocked by an explosion. The explosion yanked my head forward smashing into the HUD and the entire aircraft rattled violently. My eardrums rang and I slowly rose my head up from the screen and rubbed my forehead. As I brought my hand down I saw a sticky wet crimson color coating my gloves.

"SENPAI!" Mashu called out from the back. At least Mashu was still alright; so long as she continued to stay back there she would be fine.

"I'm fine Mashu, don't worry about it. Just sit tight!" I yelled to her over my shoulder and looked forward. Alarms were once more blazing in my ears and screens were flashing red again.

"What the hell was that?!" Scathach blurted out.

"I don't know…." I said just before being cut off.

"Look out! A rocket!" Scathach yelled as she pointed forward. Ahead there was the highlight of a rocket followed by a trail of smoke in its wake. I yanked the stick hard to the right and the craft pulled hard right as well making a horrifying metallic screech in the process. The missile zipped past the VTOL and exploded behind us, I looked behind us to see the explosion and also to see a fire was raging in one of our engines. That didn't look good...

"Chaldea is firing on us!" Scathach yelled and my gaze snapped forward once more to see the smoke trail had come from one of the missile trucks stationed inside the interior walls of Chaldea.

"I know!"

"That's great! We barely avoided death only for our own employers to kill us!" Scathach exclaimed. This wasn't exactly how I expected our return to Chaldea to wind up, but here we were about to get shot out of the sky by an anti air system. I just prayed that this was all a big mistake and it doesn't turn out that this was Amara's doing.

"Just hold on…" I murmured as I pulled one of the headsets down from the ceiling and put it over my head. I turned my attention to the center console and my eyes scanned down as I tried to find where the radio was. Eventually I found the station labeled Chaldea Home base and tapped on it. "Could you stop shooting at us! We're friendly!" I yelled into the headset. I saw Scathach look at judgmentally from the corner of my eye. "What? How else should I have asked them to stop shooting us!" Before Scathach could respond there was a buzz in my ears.

"N791VN you were expected thirty minutes ago." The voice of a male flight controller said into my ear. I mentally sighed as it wasn't Amara on the other end and was instead a regular Chaldea employee. I brought my hand up to my headphones as I pressed down on the button.

"That's because our pilot was killed by a gunshot and we've been navigating through these hellish mountains trying not to die!" I exclaimed angrily. There was a monetarily pause before the ATC spoke up again.

"Say again, did you say your pilot has been shot?" The man asked bemused.

"Yes, that's what I said. He's been shot and killed, don't ask me how. I don't frankly know." I repeated. "I'm one of the passengers, Operative 3812 and I've been trying to keep this craft from crashing into the side of a mountain along with my partner." I added.

"... Understood. Decelerate your craft and come in for a landing." The ATC instructed.

"How exactly would I go about doing that?" I asked. "I have no flight experience or qualifications." I added, and there was a slight sigh on the other side of the headset.

"You'll first want to transition from flight mode into hover mode by tapping on the button located in the middle console labeled as such, and then you'll want to pull the stick upwards along with the nose to slow your descent before landing." The ATC instructed me, I looked around the middle console until I found the button labeled flight mode, which was made all the more difficult with the red flashing icons, and tapped on it. A red message popped up on the screen that read "MALFUNCTION DETECTED!"

"Uh, there's an error message and it says that there was a malfunction. I can only imagine it's because missiles were shot at us and one ended up striking us." I explained. "That and our left engine is on fire." I added.

"Orders are quite clear to shoot down any unidentified or non responding aircraft." The ATC replied.

"You're supposed to ask before you shoot us down!" I exclaimed.

"We did, you never responded to our hailing." The ATC replied and I winced. He was right; we hadn't even bothered trying to contact Chaldea up until now. "Anyways it looks like you'll have to activate the air brakes and come in for a rather hard landing. Level out your aircraft with the field in Chaldea and activate your air brakes, once you get close to the ground you'll want to extend your wheels and from there you'll just have to hope that the air brakes do their job before you slam into a wall." The ATC added.

"What happens if none of those work?!" I asked.

"... Well then it'll be a crash landing and not a hard one." The ATC replied. Not very comforting words for our situation right now. I removed my hand from the headset and turned to Scathach.

"Well?" Scathach inquired with raised brow.

"Well the good news is they won't shoot at us anymore." I said.

"And the bad news?" Scathach asked.

"The bad news, it's going to be a rather rough landing, because our rotors are jammed so we can't switch out of flight mode." I said. "So we'll be bringing this craft down in the Chaldea courtyard." I said.

"Wonderful." Scathach muttered.

"Well there's nothing else we can do, unless you want us to fly around in circles until we run out of fuel." I said which earned me a scoff from Scathach. With that I pulled the stick to my right and the craft slowly tilted to the right. We continued this course until we were a little out from Chaldea before I pulled the stick to the left. The craft turned left and we did a U-turn before straightening the craft out with the Chaldea yard. Then I slowly pushed the stick forward and the nose of the craft dipped forward along with the rest of the craft. I looked around for the air brakes button until finding them on the middle console and hit them. There was a momentary pause before a message popped up informing me that the air brakes had extended.

"Okay ATC, it looks like we'll be coming in for a landing. I've deployed the air brakes and we're making our descent." I said pressing the button on my headset.

"Roger that, ground crews are standing by." The ATC replied.

"Also if we die, please inform the Director there's a very important briefcase inside the craft with one of my teammates which contains critical information she must see." I said and there was a momentary pause.

"...Understood if it should come to that, I'll be sure to let the Director know. We'll make sure the briefcase is secured." The ATC affirmed. Even if I were to die, I would still make sure this damn briefcase made it to the Director. I'd get the last laugh on Amara even in death…

We continued our descent towards Chaldea for a few moments and as we grew closer the courtyard became clearer to us. Emergency lights had been set up and it would seem as if all the lights on the exterior of Chaldea had been turned on as well. So that made things a bit more clear which was an overall welcome improvement to pitch blackness and constant snow our face. Over these past few minutes I occasionally pulled the stick upwards a little bit to try and decrease our speed, and even though it seemed like the air brakes were doing their job of slowing us down. It looked like we were still coming in too fast making this a rough landing. With only five hundred meters till we hit the ground I turned to the middle console and looked for the button to extend the wheels. It took a moment before I found it and I tapped it as soon as I found it.

"Shit the wheels won't extend!" I grimaced as I furiously tapped the button and it repeatedly sent me an error message and slammed my fist into the middle console.

"Breaking the console isn't going to fix it!" Scathach growled as she glanced at me out of the corner of my eye.

"This whole aircraft is gonna be broken in less than a minute." I retorted. "So you better hang on to something!" I exclaimed, only to realize there wasn't anything for Scathach or I to hold onto. With the ground getting closer and closer I pulled the stick up a little sending the craft into a belly landing as I tapped the middle console killing the remaining power to the engines. I had done all I could at this point, everything from this point onward was out of my hands. All I could do was let the craft hit the ground...

The craft slammed into the ground hard with a loud thud sending the both of us smashing into the console. The impact smashed all the cockpit windows sending glass shards all over the cockpit tearing Scathach and I up before we could raise our arms to protect our faces. The craft continued to slide forward across the courtyard sending up dirt and snow alike in its wake. The metal of the craft let out a high pitch screech as it came to a grinding halt after we had made it about halfway across the courtyard leaving a trail of wreckage in our wake. There was a loud pop as the propeller on the right side snapped off from hitting the ground too long. Eventually though the craft came to a stop and tilted over on its side… Knowing that we now safely on the ground, I began to take several deep breaths as up until this point I had been holding my breath the entire time.

"Oh god my head." Scathach murmured wincing as she brought her hand up to her forehead. I looked over at her to see blood trickling down her forehead out from underneath her hand and cuts were all over her face and clothing. I raised my hand up to my own forehead before bringing it back down to see more crimson blood sticking to my gloves. I could feel the cuts across my face and clothing and I ached all over, I would definitely be feeling this in the morning…

"Mashu are you okay back there?" I called over my shoulder and there was no response. I began to worry something might have happened to Mashu, and if she had died it would have been my fault. "MASHU!"

"I-I'm okay Senapi…. I just hit my head really hard, that's all." Mashu replied and I let out a sigh of relief knowing Mashu was alright. I know that I had told Mashu to protect that case with her life, but if she had really died. I don't know what I'd do; I probably wouldn't be able to restrain myself from hitting Amara when I saw her.

"I can't believe we survived that, I thought we were going to hit the ground and burn up in a fireball." Scathach said as she lowered her hand from her head and looked over at me. It seems as if Scathach had shared in my fears, but I'm just glad that our fears hadn't been realized. I looked out the now shattered windows and saw several medical and emergency crews rushing towards our wreckage. It would seem as if we had miraculously survived another one of Amara's murderous attempts.

"Ah well, another happy landing at Chaldea."

* * *

**Hey there! Sorry about the delay again, but I was busy. Anyways, Thank you for reading as always! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider leaving a favorite/like and be sure to follow Book III to keep up to date when the next chapter comes out. Or better yet hop onto the official Fated Destiny Discord where we talk about all things Fate, Post Salty FGO Rolls, and even talk about Girls Frontline and Azur Lane. Feel free to leave constructive feedback and reviews in the comments below or tell me what you think I need to improve on. Just a reminder that new chapters of Book Three release every two weeks on Friday or Saturday. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to seeing you next time.**

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	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Deception, Blood, and False Truths.**

* * *

The sounds of a pendulum rocking back and forth within the confines of an old grandfather clock was accompanied by the sounds of the subtle tapping of a pen against a desk that were the only sounds that disturbed the dead silence of the room. Two people sat across from one another at the desk closest to the window, one wore an angry expression on their face whilst the other torn up and wrapped in bandages sat there with misery plastered all over their face followed by a sense of dread for what was to come….

"Well operative, do you have anything to say for yourself?" Olga spoke up breaking the silence that had shadowed over the room for the past ten minutes. I had sat there silently for the entirety of the time as I thought of what I was going to say as the Director stared angrily at me. This was not how I had intended things to go when I got back to Chaldea. I had planned on heading to Andersen's office as soon as we had touched down and if things went smoothly with Andersen and I got him on my side then I was going to head down to the Director's office with Andersen where we would give the Debrief I had prepared for Olga. However, all of those plans had come crashing down with our crash landing in Chaldea's courtyard. The debriefing had been thrusted upon me ahead of schedule due to none other than the Director herself…

Fifteen minutes earlier...

I winced as antibiotics were applied to the cuts and bruises on my face by one of the nurses under Doctor Roman. Behind me the same was being done to Scathach and Mashu on the other beds by other nurses. We had been relocated to the medical wing of Chaldea after haven been rescued from the wreckage of the crashed VTOL. So far it had seemed like we had walked away with minor injuries, mainly cuts and bruises along with black and blue marks everywhere. The nurse had proceeded to clean and disinfect my cuts before she began to apply bandages. My wrist had also gotten torn up in the crash landing along with other various places, but those had been taken care beforehand and now the nurse was working on my face. All the while Roman stood over the nurse taking care of me as his gaze was looking down at the tablet in his hands. I could keep my gaze forward and continue to wince as the antibiotics were applied to my cuts before the bandages followed.

"Your reactions are always the same Chris, no matter how many times you go through this process." Roman said as he looked up from his tablet.

"Just because I've gone through this process multiple times, doesn't make it any more enjoyable." I said, letting out a grunt in my response.

"Mm well perhaps you should take that into consideration the next time you decide to crash land a 26 Ton helicopter into Chaldea's courtyard." Roman said.

"It wasn't intentional." I murmured.

"I'm sure it wasn't." Roman said as he looked down at his tablet and tapped at it. "You should be lucky I don't have to pull glass shards out of you." Roman added.

"Should I really consider myself lucky all things considered?" I asked as the Nurse finished applying my bandages. I looked up at Roman who in return kept his eyes down in his tablet.

"Perhaps not, but for who am I too say. I am a Doctor, not a fortune teller." Roman replied which only earned a grunt from in reply. "However as a Doctor I can say that medically you should all consider your lucky, as none of you have sustained any serious injuries." Roman went onto say to everyone. I looked over my shoulder to see Mashu turn her head to look at Roman whilst Scathach sat on the furthest bed looking on miserably as a Nurse applied antibiotics to her forehead from the gash she had gotten when she hit her head on the dashboard.

"Just a few stitches here and there." Roman said jokingly. "Anyway Lancer and Christopher you should be free to leave as soon as you're done here, but Mashu. I'll be keeping you behind just to run a few more tests, ok?" Roman said and before Mashu could have the chance to respond there was an interruption.

"Operative! What is the meaning of this!?" Olga exclaimed as she suddenly burst into the room. Everyone snapped their attention to the door to see Olga standing in the doorway, her hands gripping the sides tightly as she looked in my direction angrily. I felt her gaze burning into my forehead that felt worse than the sting of the antibiotics a few moments ago.

"Director!" Roman exclaimed out as he turned around surprised. "Have you come to finally get that long overdue check up?"

"Quiet Roman, I didn't come here for your bad jokes!" Olga exclaimed as she sliced her hand through the air which in turn silenced Roman. "Not when there's a crashed helicopter sitting inside of my courtyard!"

"Director I can….!" I managed to get out before being cut off.

"I'm sure you can explain, in my office. Now." Olga said taking a step back and pointing down the hall.

"Ahem, Olga. If I may interrupt for a moment..." Roman said clearing his throat. Olga snapped her attention towards Roman, her gaze piercing through him like arrows. "...Err D-Director, sorry. Christopher has still yet to have his injuries fully treated. Perhaps it might be best to wait until his injuries have been treated…" Roman said and Olga raised her brow in response.

"Oh?" Olga murmured as crossed her arms. "Are his injuries life threatening or impair his ability to speak or think?" Olga inquired and Roman winced in response. Roman knew he couldn't bluff his way out of this one and even if he bluffed, Olga might call him out.

"N-No Director, it's only minor cuts and bruises. The one with the most severe injuries was Lancer…" Roman said before trailing off.

"As I expected." Olga said glaring Roman down before redirecting her attention towards me. "Now then operative, let us make our way to my office. Where I look forward to your explanation." Olga said. There was little resistance at this point and no point in trying to argue with my boss. I was bound to face her sooner or later; I only wish it would have been later than sooner.

"Yes Ma'am." I said hanging my head as I grasped my knees where I proceeded to push myself up right. I dragged my feet as I made my way over to her and from there we proceeded to head to her office…

"Well Operative, I'm waiting for your explanation." Olga said as she tapped her pen against the desk impatiently. I proceeded to close my eyes and crossed my arms across my chest to give the appearance that I was in deep thought, when really I was imagining myself being elsewhere but here right now. I didn't know how to explain what happened other than the pilot got shot somehow and we all almost died. I had been asleep when it all went down so I really didn't know what else to add. "Only a few months ago you nearly killed got killed in a shootout that spanned across an entire American city whilst garnering International coverage that could have put the organization at risk, and now you crash land in the courtyard nearly killing yourself and others." Olga scolded.

"Well I can explain Director!" I exclaimed and the Director narrowed her eyes at me.

"Well go on then." Olga said.

"While I can't say for certain what exactly happened, I can say that our pilot was shot and killed." I said and Olga raised an eyebrow. "And from there we were forced to take over control of the craft and steer it through the mountains before making it to Chaldea where we tried to put it down. However Chaldea ended up shooting at us with missiles and damaged the craft so we were forced to crash land in the courtyard." I explained to her.

"You say your pilot was shot and killed? How is that possible? You were flying in a craft that was going between two to three hundred miles per hour." Olga said as she tapped her pen against the desk not looking all that convinced. "Also why do you say you can't be for certain? What were you doing at the time?" Olga inquired and I closed my eyes once more as I scratched my cheek innocently.

"Eh Heh well you see Director, I always take a nap on the trip back." I said and the Director narrowed her eyes in response. "Which is what I was doing when the incident happened, and I awoke it was when I discovered the pilot had been shot. Both Mashu and Lancer can attest to what I've said." I said. "As for how he was shot while we were flying at incredibly high speeds in the mountains, I do not know. Such a thing would normally be impossible even for an extremely skilled marksman, but as you say magic makes the impossible possible." I added.

"I don't recall saying such a thing." Olga said looking skeptical.

"Well you said something along those lines, but don't worry about." I said continuing to scratch my cheek and Olga narrowed her eyes once more at me. "Anyway, if you wanted to know more about what happened, you would need to ask Lancer or Mashu. They were awake at the time so they might be able to tell you more, all I know is the pilot got shot when we were at least ten miles out from Chaldea." I said with a casual shrug.

"I see…" Olga murmured as she continued tapping against the desk with her pen for a few moments before placing it down. "That still fails to explain the why, as this is now your second incident of someone trying to kill you. First in Philadelphia and now on the way back to Chaldea, where as you never had problems up until the past year. What exactly have you gotten yourself into this time Operative? I don't want to hear you tell me nothing is happening, because clearly something is." Olga said sternly with the wag of her finger.

"Well actually it has to do with what I wanted to talk to you about Director. I've discovered something that you need to hear about. It's very important." I said jumping at the chance to transition the conversation into explaining it was Amara who was behind the attacks on me and why she was doing it.

"Go on then." Olga said as she leaned forward on her desk and interlocked her fingers.

"You know how we've been trying to figure out who was behind the attacks two years ago and likely the singularities?" I inquired.

"Yes, I haven't forgotten." Olga replied.

"And you also know how the Mage Association said they would investigate the matter themselves?" I asked.

"Yes, and I also recall telling you not to interfere in their investigation." Olga said as glared at me from behind her fingers.

"I didn't forget and I did not interfere!" I exclaimed raising a finger. "But you know how neither they nor us have been able to figure out who has been behind everything?"

"I'm not unaware of the Mage Association or our own shortcomings Operative." Olga replied.

"Well it just so happens that I have acquired information and evidence of who attacked us two years ago and who is behind the singularities!" I said and Olga narrowed her eyes at me. "I did not interfere in the Mage Associations investigation and this was all in my own free time along with my own sources outside of Chaldea!" I exclaimed.

"It still is considered an independent investigation, which I told you not to do." Olga said and I winced at her reply.

"Yes, but it was on my own time." I pointed out. "But will you not listen to what I have to say despite all of that?" I inquired and Olga remained silent for a moment.

"... I brought you here to explain yourself so that is what I will let you do, and I'm not stupid enough to turn down critical information so long as it is backed by strong evidence." Olga finally said and I mentally sighed a sigh of relief.

"I assure you Director; I have with me plenty of evidence backing up my claims." I said.

"Then proceed." Olga said motioning her hand.

"Well you know how we originally suspected it was done by someone on the inside?" I asked.

"That would be the most logical conclusion, yes." Olga replied.

"And it would also be logical to suggest that only an insider would have known the flight path of the VTOL and be able to intercept it from Chaldea?" I said.

"I suppose so, if what you said was true. It would still be quite a hike." Olga replied.

"I suppose it would be, but when one is determined enough not even a treacherous hike through the mountains would stop them." I said. "But Director you recall a few years back when we were having thefts here at Chaldea and we determined that was also an insider?" I inquired.

"Yes, despite the passing of time I have not forgotten, as I'm sure neither have you." Olga said with a flash of sympathy going across her face. "But what are you trying to suggest? The person responsible for all those thefts years ago is the same person threatening humanity now?" Olga inquired with raised brow.

"That's what I'm suggesting." I said with a nod of my head. "The person behind the thefts years ago is the same person we're dealing with right now."

"And how can you be so sure of this Operative?" Olga inquired.

"Based on the evidence I have here." I said as I lifted the briefcase I had been holding in my laptop all this time, up onto the desk. "Inside this briefcase are multiple financial statements, mission briefings, and personal logs. This is also the reason why I've almost been killed twice in the past few months." I added.

"I see, so someone has been trying to kill you over the evidence in your possession." Olga said looking down at the briefcase before looking back up at me. "And here I was thinking it had been over debts you owed or some other nefarious reason."

"Funny Director." I murmured.

"Yes well that's all well and good Operative and whilst we've yet to go over the evidence, all of what you said is leading me to believe it must have to someone high up in our organization." Olga said glaring at me. "Because I doubt the Janitor has the means or resources to rob Chaldea multiple occasions, set off several bombs inside Chaldea without a trace, and make several attempts on a field operative's life." Olga added.

"Well actually now that you think about it, a Janitor would be in a perfect position to steal artifacts and set up bombs as they have access to the entire facility. Nobody would ever think to question a Janitor going anywhere." I said scratching my cheek.

"You're forgetting that they'd be the first one to be suspected if there was ever a theft." Olga said as she narrowed her eyes. "But even still I have a hard time imagining one janitor robbing multiple facilities without anyone noticing the transfers, not to mention the thefts were done by hired criminals, two of which you and Raelin managed to capture before you were forced to kill them, if memory serves me correctly." Olga said.

"Yes that's right." I said with a nod of my head. "They were one of many hired by said person in the organization to steal artifacts for them. And as I'm sure you can guess, it would cost a lot of money to hire said people, one would need to be very high up in the organization or come from a wealthy mage family." I said.

"There are several individuals here at Chaldea who come from rich mage families…" Olga pointed out. "...Several of which families provide funding to Chaldea." Olga murmured that last part under her breath. Which I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to hear that last part so I'll pretend as if I had not.

"Ahem yes, but there are only a select few who would be capable of covering up their tracks without." I said and Olga narrowed her eyes at me once more from behind the slits of her fingers.

"Such a person would essentially be required to lie and submit false reports without question or be second checked, which could only mean…." Olga said.

"Yes, such a person would need to hold a position only second to the Director." I said.

"Are you suggesting what I possibly think you're suggesting Christopher?" Olga inquired.

"Yes Director I'm afraid so….." I said as I tightly gripped the briefcase in my hands. Everything had been building up to this moment; the Director would finally know who was the root cause of all our problems and the one who had claimed so many lives. The one who lurked in the shadows plotting our downfall. I fought back against the lump building in my throat and dryness in my mouth to finally say the words that I had been holding back this whole time:

"Amara Iselma is the one behind the singularities and traitor to Chaldea…"

Olga leaned back in her chair looking at me in disbelief as Amara's name left my lips. Her fingers began to tap furiously against her desk as she seemed overcome with shock and disbelief at the same time. Olga stared at me not saying anything as the little hand on the clock ticked by several times all the while I sat there helplessly waiting for her response. Olga raised her fist up to her face as she appeared to bite down on her fingernails. I could only imagine what one in her position might be thinking when faced with the fact her most trusted advisor has betrayed you. "... S-Suppose all of what you said is true, that's a serious allegation you're making against one of Chaldea's highest ranking officer."

"Yes I understand the seriousness of the allegations I'm making, but I wouldn't be making them otherwise if I didn't have any serious evidence to back them." I said gripping the locks of the briefcase. Olga looked down at the black briefcase and back up at me.

"You mentioned earlier you have evidence, so present your case to me." Olga said with a nod of her head. "If the evidence against her is strong, I shall take the appropriate action and see justice is dealt."

"Thank you Director." I said to the subtle sound of the locks on the briefcase popping open filled the brief interval before I began my explanation. "Do you remember when you hired Amara?"

"It was sometime in 2011, why?" Olga asked.

"Well from the evidence I've gathered, the first signs of Amara's betrayal was around the time that TRISMEGISTUS was completed in 2015." I said as I shifted through the briefcase. "This was when the first signs of the anomalies was detected which would later be known as the singularities we face today." I explained as I handed some of Lev's data over to Olga. "While the signals were weak to start, Chaldea's primary purpose is to see into the future and detect threats to humanity. The threats detected in 2015 are those of what Amara would do in the future."

"That is the purpose of Chaldea, yes." Olga said. "However, this is all theory at this point about whether or not Amara is the cause of them." Olga said as she looked over the data.

"At the moment, yes." I said. "Her betrayal could have started as soon as back in 2011, 2015 was only when the data Chaldea had been collecting could be analyzed." I said and Olga narrowed her eyes at me still looking unconvinced thus far. "The evidence I've gathered however points to as early as 2017 when she started plotting her betrayal, as stolen blueprints for several of our facilities were recovered after she dropped them. More were later recovered from her office." I added as I pulled the stolen blueprints out and placed them in front of Olga.

"Did you break into her office to get these? How do I know these weren't taken recently?" Olga asked.

"No! I did no such thing!" I exclaimed. "...I mean yes some of them were stolen from her office, but it wasn't me!" I said and Olga narrowed her eyes. "Each of our blueprints has a timestamp... right here." I said as I pointed to the timestamp. "And as you can tell these blueprints are all dated before the thefts took place and long before Amara became a General." I said. "I'm sure you're also aware that we updated all our blueprints to include the new security systems we put in place after the first thefts, which you can tell these blueprints pre date these."

"That still doesn't prove she stole them." Olga stated.

"Well it just so happens I managed to dig up a missing items report filed to security from 2017 that states these exact Blueprints went missing sometimes around Christmas 2017." I said as I pulled out the copies of the security report and handed them to Olga. Olga took them from my hand and looked them over for a moment before looking back up at me.

"Okay so these blueprints were stolen and while there is still no evidence she was the one who stole them, but I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt." Olga said.

"Thanks Director…" I murmured scratching my head in frustration at myself. The proof was in Lev's journal, but that was still a bit of a ways off in my debrief... "So moving on, you might find yourself asking why Amara was stealing blueprints? Or perhaps you've already figured it out." I said.

"I have a pretty good idea, but tell me anyway." Olga said.

"It was Amara's intent to gather these schematics ahead of time in preparation for thefts she would carry out years later throughout 2020 and 2021." I said. "Which she would later give to thieves she hired using appropriated funds from her family and funding she received from Chaldea which was meant to be used for the Security force." I went onto explain.

"So you're also accusing her of embezzlement?" Olga asked with a raised brow.

"Well you can see for yourself Director, here are the real financial reports compared to the ones she handed in to you during those years." I said as I handed the Director the forged financial report and then the factual one. Olga took one and each hand and looked back and forth between them whilst I placed the rest in front of her in appropriate stacks of fake and true. "The financial reports on your left are the ones she submitted are from our records, you can check them yourself. The ones on your right are recovered from her office. " I explained before waiting patiently for Olga to go through multiple reports.

"These ... certainly check out." Olga muttered. "Those are indeed my signatures on the falsified reports and I've seen Amara's signature enough times to recognize them on both reports." Olga said reluctantly as she placed the financial reports down in front of her, before closing her eyes. "While I will need to cross reference them with our records just to be sure, it would seem for the moment as if Amara is indeed guilty of embezzlement." Olga said as she took a deep breath before opening her eyes. "But carry on with what you were saying Operative." Olga said and I nodded my head.

"Of course Director, before we move on though I'd like to hand you bank statements showing several transactions to one of Amara's bank accounts from the Iselma family." I said as I pulled the various files from my briefcase and handed them to Olga. "While I'm not well versed in the politics of the Magi, I know that while Amara is the eldest daughter of her family, she lost her place as its successor due to her employment under Chaldea." I said clearing my throat. "And the amounts withdrawn are certainly not benefitting of one who has been ousted from the family succession. Thus I thought you might want to have a word with her family about their eldest daughter's activities."

"While I am in no way close to the Ismela family, I am sure I will become well acquainted with her father as we discuss his daughter's activities in the days to come." Olga said as she looked over the documents, and I swore for a moment that Olga's eyes were going to pop out of her head as she made her way down the bank statements. "Anyways, carry on Operative." Olga said as she gathered the bank statements together and put them off to the side.

"Well as I was saying before, Amara used funds she stole and embezzled from her family and Chaldea to hire the thieves that would rob our facilities. She also provided them with inside information like access codes and the stolen blueprints she had taken years ahead of time." I explained. "Amara had risen through the ranks of Chaldea after all her years of working here, so by the time of the robberies Amara had a wealth of information at her disposal. Which she would use to aid the criminals in doing her dirty work."

"...It's true that Amara has access to all of the security codes and information one would need to infiltrate our facilities." Olga murmured.

"She also has the means to cover it all up, since she heads the Security department. You're the only one she has to answer to so she can easily feed you false reports and information." I said. "Now the people she employed to carry out the robberies all vary from professional thieves to rogue mages wanted by the Association. As far as I can tell none of them had any connections to Amara or her family, and none of them have any connections to the other thieves." I said. "I would guess that Amara made sure none of them were connected so if they were caught it would seem like they random robberies and not all the same. The two kids we managed to capture had no idea they weren't the first to rob Chaldea, so it leads me to believe that every team was given as little information as possible." I said as I shifted through my briefcase looking for the files. "Here you can see the conversations had between Amara and those she employed. Amara used several different emails under different aliases to hire the people who would carry out the attacks, offering them the vast sums of money she embezzled from Chaldea and her family. Inside you'll also find the financial statements showing the money transfers." I said as I handed the folder to the Director who took it in her hands. "Interestingly enough, not everyone she contacted accepted her offer. Some downright declined on the spot." I added.

"I see…" Olga murmured as she flipped open the folder and her eyes began to scan down the first page.

"They're all under aliases of course and I didn't get a chance to try and see if the bank accounts were still open, but it's doubtful that they still exist." I said as I scratched my chin. "I did manage to check the emails and they no longer exist which is no surprise. It's also doubtful we could trace the recipients of the emails back to the original owners."

"I had no delusions that we would be able to Operative." Olga murmured as she lifted the first page moving onto the next.

"Right…" I said. "Now I said Amara embezzled funds from Chaldea and her family to fund these illicit operations. That's true, but only in the beginning." I said and I saw an eyebrow rise. "Later on she would take the stolen artifacts and turn around, selling them to the highest bidder on the black market." I said as I pulled out another folder and placed it in the middle of the desk between the ever stacking piles of evidence. "She would not only sell the artifacts that she stole from us, she would also sell the artifacts that she and her security forces managed to recover. Which she would falsify her mission reports claiming that they had been returned to storage. I took the liberty of cross referencing our manifest with what she reported and as I'm sure you've guessed by now, the artifacts are not where she claimed they were." I said. I saw Olga look down at the folder with a wince as I placed it down in the middle of the table.

"I-I see Operative." Olga murmured as she placed the folder with the money transfer down before pulling the folder towards her, where she opened it and looked at the first page for a brief moment. "... You've certainly come loaded with loads of incriminating evidence against Amara, but I think it's time you revealed the source of your information. As damning and true as this may all seem, if the source is less than credible I can't take this all at face value." Olga said as she interlocked her fingers. It was now my turn to wince in response as she seemed prepared to throw it all away just on a source, even though most of this came from Chaldea itself. Olga still wanted to know where I had gotten it from, which to be fair was a reasonable demand.

"Of course Director, it was bound to come up sooner or later." I said as I cleared my throat of any doubt. "While I put everything together into something presentable and gathered some of the additional data like the correct inventory logs. All of the hard work and data collected was done by Professor Lev ..."

"L-Lev…!?" Olga's eyes widened astonished. She leaned back in her chair apparently taken by surprise by the revelation that it had been Lev who had collected all this Lev. Things went quiet for a few moments before Olga spoke up once more. "This was all done by Lev?" Olga asked with a stutter.

"Yes Ma'am." I said with a nod of my head and reached into my jacket pocket and withdrew Lev's journal. I reached over Olga's desk and handed her Lev's journal, Olga's gaze rested on the journal for a moment before she sat up and took the journal from me. Olga sat back in her chair where she proceeded to flip the journal open to the first page. "Lev started that journal back in 2015 and had been keeping tabs on Amara since 2017 when he first suspected her of wrongdoing. It includes his thoughts and notes from his investigation dating all the way from 2015 to 2024 weeks before his death." I said sitting back in my chair falling into silence. Olga sat there in silence as her eyes read down the first page before flipping to the next page. A pained look plagued Olga's eyes as she flipped to the next page and read down the page. The room plunged back into a deadly silence with the only sounds filling the gap were those of the grandfather clock. The minutes felt like hours and I thought I was about to doze off in my chair had it not been for the Director finally speaking up.

"... Why did Lev never say anything about this to me all these years...?" Olga asked looking up at me.

"Ahem, well Director. Lev felt it best as to not get you involved." I said clearing my throat as I straightened myself up in my chair. "He felt at the time he didn't have enough evidence to convince you, and feared he might stroke a rebellion from Amara's Army if he turned her in." I explained. Olga looked back down at Lev's journal with saddened eyes.

"He should have told me, I could have handled it. I'm not a kid anymore ..." Olga murmured under her breath.

"Later on in his journal he explains that when he confronted Amara on this, he attempted to convince her to return the stolen artifacts and quit what she was doing in exchange he'd not report her." I said and I saw Olga grip the sides of Levs journal angrily. "This only seemed to anger her and she threatened to kill him. Making it look like a suicide if he didn't keep his mouth shut." Olga winced as she looked down at the words on the page.

"That sounds just like Lev to try and offer Amara redemption despite all she had done." Olga murmured. "But in my opinion one who betrays their organization and kills their friends and coworkers just for personal gain deserves nothing but damnation…"

"Lev was going to finally tell you after the first singularity was completed, but as we know he was killed before he can do so…" I said. "And while I have no evidence proving she was the one set off the bombs in Chaldea, she has the motive and capabilities." I said as I rubbed my hands together anxiously. Olga stared at the pages for a moment longer before looking up at me with a serious expression.

"While I'm convinced now that Amara was the one responsible for the thefts years ago..." Olga said and paused for a moment. "... You've still yet to explain how the thefts and her are connected to the singularities, nor have you told me what her motive is. Everyone has a motive, so what is Amara's?" Olga inquired as she interlocked her fingers.

"Well I had been holding off from telling you up until now, because I had hoped you could provide a bit more information…." I said as I reached into the briefcase once more for the last remaining document. "While one might come to the conclusion that Amara was doing this all for financial gain, you'd be wrong." I said.

"What did you hope I could tell you?" Olga inquired. "If she did not do this all for financial gain then what for?"

"Well Director, she was after the Holy Grail in Chaldea's possession…"

"E-Excuse me?" Olga stammered as her eyes widened in disbelief. "What did you say? Holy Grail? Chaldea's possession? Explain yourself." Olga demanded.

"Well I had hoped you could explain to me why Chaldea had a Holy Grail in our possession, but it seems that you're just as surprised as I was." I said as I handed Olga the folder labeled Classified. Olga took it in her hands and looked the front cover over before opening it. I watched as her eyes went from left to right reading down the first page in the document. Olga proceeded to the next page and continued reading down the lines until she reached the end, and repeated the process. I sat back in my chair, resting my arms on the arms of the chair and crossing my legs as I awaited for Olga to finish reading.

As Olga flipped to the next page her eyes widened as soon as she laid eyes on the picture of the grail, and it didn't take long before she fell back in her chair with disbelief plastered across her face once more. Olga seemed to sit there for several moments completely in shock seeming to enter her own little world.

"I...I didn't even know…. We had a Grail ..." Olga murmured dumbstruck, as she bit down on her thumb in frustration. "...Father never mentioned anything about this…" Olga murmured that last part so quietly I almost didn't hear it.

"Ahem, yes well I had hoped you might have been able to shed some light on this fact." I said speaking up. Olga looked up at me in surprise, almost as if she had forgotten that I was still here.

"Huh… Oh uh…. Um No…" Olga muttered indecisively. It took another moment for Olga to recompose herself after the shock of discovering her own Organization once had a girl. "My Fat… I mean the previous Director before me mentioned anything about having a Holy Grail in our possession." Olga said.

"I see, if you had known about it perhaps you would have been able to take better precautions to safe guarding it." I said somberly. "The facility was located somewhere down in the South pole."

"Perhaps, Perhaps not. I knew of the facility with which it was located. However I had paid it little mind as I figured it was just another warehouse filled with dusty old artifacts Clock Tower had wanted us to safeguard." Olga said as she began to tap her finger against the desk. "But to think it had actually stored the Holy Grail…" Olga murmured.

"Do you have any idea as to how it could have gotten into our possession?" I inquired.

"No of course not idiot. How could I when I never even knew we had it to begin with?" Olga retorted.

"S-Sorry Director, I was just asking…" I said apologetically.

"I-It's fine, I'm just as so overtaken with emotions right now in light of this information." Olga said. "So tell me Christopher, how did Amara go about stealing it if not even I knew about it?" Olga inquired looking at me seriously.

"Well I'm not sure as to how she learned of the information, because in Lev's journal you'll see that not even he himself knew about it." I said.

"If not even Lev knew about it, then my Father must have kept it a closely guarded secret…" Olga murmured under her breath. "Well I guess I'll have to do some digging. Anyway proceed with your telling of how the Holy Grail and the thefts from years ago are connected." Olga said and I nodded my head.

"Well to put it into perspective, the thefts of our facilities were a smoke screen so Amara could steal the Holy Grail." I explained.

"Smoke screen…?" Olga murmured.

"Yes, it was all done so Amara could move the Holy Grail from our facility in Antarctica without anyone noticing." I said nodding my head. "You know how Amara kept requesting more and more forces to be diverted from guarding our facilities to be tasked with recovering the artifacts that were stolen while our branch was tasked with stopping more thefts?" I asked and Olga nodded her head. "Well the more forces you drew away from the facility in Antarctica to be tasked with recovery and security efforts, the easier it became for Amara to steal the grail." I said. "No one would notice a small security detachment sent down to the Antarctic by Amara under the guise of moving artifacts to a more secure location, only for them to never reach their new destination. No one would report it either, because Amara is after the highest ranking security personal at Chaldea and since you never knew of the grail's existence you'd never notice its absence either." I explained as Olga intently listened to my every word.

"I never knew Amara could be so cunning…" Olga murmured.

"Yes well sometimes those who might seem innocent are usually those who have the most to hide." I said clearing my throat. "So in conclusion: Amara had been plotting to steal the Holy Grail dating back as far as 2017, and she used the thefts as a smokescreen go into an unguarded Antarctica facility and steal the grail right under everyone's noses. She would then go on to use to cause the Singularities we are currently facing. Which is likely what Lev detected all the way back in 2015, was Amara's triggering of the Singularities by use of the grail that would destroy humanity. Lev spent the past nine years investigating the cause of the singularities, and in doing so uncovered what Amara was doing. When he confronted her, Lev offered her to return the Grail in exchange he'd not say anything, Amara threatened to kill him if he said anything and Lev spent the remaining years up until he was killed trying to uncover where Amara was keeping the grail. Only for Lev to be killed when Amara attempted to sabotage Chaldea's efforts in stopping the Singularities." I explained before taking a momentary pause from speaking.

"That last part is theory though, as I have no evidence to support those claims. However Amara has the motive and means of doing so, Lev was the only one who knew of her betrayal and wrong doings so it makes sense to get rid of him." I said and Olga furrowed her eyebrows a little. "And here we are today stumbling around in the dark trying to clean up Amara's messes of the past that threaten our very existence, while she has had free reign to continue plotting against us in the shadows. For everything we know she knows, so she can always remain one step ahead of us." I said, letting out a weary sigh. "As for why she is attempting to destroy humanity, I do not know. I can only speculate that it is so she may reach the root with the destruction of all human life, perhaps? Or perhaps out of pettiness due to losing her position as head of the family?" I said rubbing my cheek. "I must admit that the last one is a bit far fetched, but I can not think of any other reasons as to why one might wish to destroy Humanity. I'm afraid that is all I can think of. If you wish to find out for certain you will have to ask her yourself..."

"This is… This is a lot to process." Olga said raising her hand up to her head as she appeared to have perhaps become winded. "I'm going to need some time to go over this all in greater detail before I can make any decisions… In the meantime, I want you to not get in any more trouble until I make my final decision. I will make the final call on what to do with Amara." Olga said wagging her finger at me.

"I understand Director, I'll be keeping my head down from here on out." I said with a nod. "If you have any questions, you'll know where to find me, and I do hope you'll inform me when you've come to a final decision." I added.

"I'll be sure to let you know. With these revelations coming to light a lot of things will need to undergo change around here, but for now you're dismissed." Olga said with a wave of her hand. I nodded my head and turned to leave as I prepared to leave... "Before you go though…" Olga said. I stopped in my tracks and turned around to face Olga, to see her looking up directly at me. "I know Lev did most of the work, but you did a good job Operative… I don't think I would have been able to suspect Amara as the one behind this all. I was too blinded by her loyalty to have ever suspected her, and after Levs death…. Well…. She was the only friend and advisor I had left after Lev that I thought I could rely on and trust. So thank you Operative." Olga said sincerely and I nodded my head once more.

"No thanks is necessary Director, I was just doing my job." I replied.

"Sometimes you're far too modest Christopher, but once again I must thank you." Olga said with a soft smile pausing for a moment. "Now then off with you, I'll have come to my final decision within a month." Olga said returning to her usual harsh tone, dismissively waving her hand at me. I nodded my head one last time before exiting out of her office with the door swooshing close behind me.

With the door closed behind me, I finally let out a deep sigh of relief and scratched my head. For a large portion of that debriefing it seemed as if Olga was going to down right reject the notion that Amara was guilty despite the evidence provided. However I guess Rin had been right all along, all it took was telling Olga that it this had been Lev's finding that Amara was the traitor to Chaldea. It had felt a bit dirty using Olga's trust in Lev to convince her that Amara was guilty, but if Olga wouldn't be convinced by the overwhelming evidence against Amara. Than I guess I had been left with little choice but to mention Lev's name as the source behind it all to strengthen my case against Amara, even if I think I already had a strong case. But it was as Olga had said she didn't want to believe her closest friend and advisor was guilty of what I she had been accused of. In the end I guess all humans are slaves to their emotions, even the Director. The Director must have her faith placed in Lev for good reason, so that must mean that had to count for something right? It didn't matter I guess, Olga had been convinced and soon Amara would be brought to justice, and all that would be left to do was clean up the singularities. It would be easy sailing from here on out or so I was telling myself. I couldn't really be sure what the future held in store for me.

"Either way, my work here was done. Time to call it a day." I murmured as I slid my hands into my pockets and headed down the hall putting the Director's office behind me…

A dark and empty room greeted me as the door slid open revealing me my all too familiar room. I gripped the frames of the door and peeked my head inside to see if anyone lay in wait to pounce me, but Scathach was nowhere to be found and nobody else seemed to be waiting for me inside. I had half expected Amara to be waiting for me by my desk side with her legs crossed and sipping a cup of tea where I would be forced to sit and listen to her threaten me or end up shooting me. I guess that those were just wild fantasies inside my head and nothing more.

I stepped inside my room and I felt as the door closed behind me ushering the room back into darkness. My gaze scanned the room until it stopped on my bed and I wearily made my way towards it, stopping short of falling on top of it. I unbuttoned my jacket and pulled it off where I tossed it yet another ruined suit jacket onto the dresser. From there I proceeded to kick off my shoes underneath the bed and turned around where I slowly lowered myself onto the bed. I was beat, my muscles ached all over and underneath my bandages the cuts still stung a little. I had done all I could during that meeting to keep from showing my discomfort and now that was over with, I could finally rest. I fell back into the bed and brought my feet up as I swung around so I could place my head on the pillows. I lowered my head onto the pillows and looked up at the ceiling, letting out a weary sigh. Today had been absolute hell and I'm just glad it was finally over. With that thought, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep...

* * *

**Hey there! Sorry about the delay. Anyways, Thank you for reading as always and for your continued support! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider leaving a favorite/like and be sure to follow Book III to keep up to date when the next chapter comes out. Or better yet hop onto the official Fated Destiny Discord where we talk about all things Fate, Post Salty FGO Rolls, and even talk about Girls Frontline and Azur Lane. Feel free to leave constructive feedback and reviews in the comments below or tell me what you think I need to improve on. Just a reminder that new chapters of Book Three release every two weeks on Friday or Saturday. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to seeing you next time.**

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	17. Chapter Seventeen Bedside Chat

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Bedside Chat**

* * *

I'm awakened by a sudden pain in my chest and I proceed to slowly open my eyes, wincing whilst doing so. As my eyes opened I saw the bland white walling that lined the side of my bed that was distinct even in pitch darkness of my room. I gripped my sides with a groan as I turned over in my bed facing the ceiling. My body still ached all over from yesterday and I had the sense this pain wouldn't be going away any time in the foreseeable future. My eyes blinked as I laid there staring up at the ceiling for a few moments before reaching out with my right hand grasping at the ceiling. There was of course nothing for me to grab onto so I instead opted to stare at my bandaged hand for a few moments before letting my hand fall back down to my chest where it remained. Oddly enough I had not recalled falling asleep on the right side of the bed closest to the wall, but it would appear as if someone had pushed me to the side. There was of course only one such person who had access to my room who could do that and as I turned to face my right side I saw said person.

Scathach laid there besides me in bed with her eyes closed as she slept peacefully. Her hands resting firmly on her chest as it rose up and down with her breathing. The bandages put on from yesterday still wrap around her forehead and other various parts of her body. I'm sure Scathach was still exhausted from yesterday and it would be best not to disturb her and let her sleep so her injuries could heal, that and I really didn't want to poke the sleeping bear. However as I brought my wrist up to check my watch I saw that it was already around two o'clock in the afternoon. I lowered my arm back down to my stomach and lay there in silence staring up at the ceiling with only my thoughts to occupy me. The only sounds to fill the void were the subtle sounds of Scathach's breathing only followed by the fan sitting on the nightstand blowing away on us. I continued to lay there taking in the sounds and the cool breeze that hit my skin, it was all what one could call peaceful in my room. Really it was a day when one should rest and recover after the stressful and hectic day that had been yesterday. Normally I was one who would never turn down such a day. Yet for some odd reason or another, I just couldn't relax with this sudden urge to get out and stretch my legs. There was only one problem: Scathach was blocking my only means of exit.

I turned and faced the sleeping bear at my side, while it looked peaceful as it slept, it would become enraged if woken. So in a time like this, all I could do was stare at it in silence. So that's exactly what I did, I fixated my gaze on Scathach's face and kept it on her for the next several minutes. The minutes passed by as I lay there continuing to stare at her, narrowing my eyes at her sleeping face. After a few more minutes ticked by, I began to think that Scathach wouldn't be waking up. However it was then when I saw her eyes appear to wince in her sleep, appearing as if she was having some sort of nightmare. It was a moment later when I saw her crimson eyes emerge as she slowly opened her eyes.

"...What do you want…?" Scathach murmured sheepishly as she kept her gaze forward looking at the ceiling.

"Just waking up?" I asked.

"No I'd rather still be asleep, but I felt this unpleasant stare gazing upon me." Scathach replied grumpily.

"Who knew I could wake her Highness with just a stare." I said.

"Don't fool yourself, anyone who felt such a disgusting gaze on them would be awakened by it as well." Scathach retorted.

"As charming as ever Scathach."

"Did you need something or did you wake me for nothing?" Scathach inquired seeming to ignore my remark. "If not I shall go back to sleep." Scathach added.

"Well actually I was hoping if you could perhaps move out of the way so I could get out of bed." I said. Scathach didn't say anything in response and instead choose to close her eyes as she appeared to fall back asleep. "HEY!" I exclaimed as I lightly kicked her beneath the sheets. "I'd like to get out of bed." I reiterated.

"So?" Scathach replied remaining undeterred by my kicks.

"So unless you want me to crawl over you to get out, could you please move out of the way?" I asked.

"Unless you want to suffer additional injuries on top of the ones you already have, I suggest you don't do that." Scathach replied, causing me to wince in reply as I knew Scathach would be true to her word. So that left me with little choice but to remain on my side of the bed.

"Well then can you get out of the way?!" I exclaimed.

"Possibly." Scathach replied and I groaned in response.

"I remember our first day at my house and I picked you up to take you to bed. You didn't threaten to beat me up and instead blushed like a teenage girl." I said and I saw irritation wash over Scathach's face.

"I did not blush like a teenage girl back then. I was merely taken by surprise since we had only just met hours beforehand that was all. Nothing more, nothing less." Scathach said dismissively. "If you tried to do that again, I would certainly break your arms this time." Scathach added.

"Is that so? Well then I certainly liked you better when you were surprised." I said much to Scathach's annoyance.

"Well you should get used to reality, for it was a fleeting moment back then." Scathach said.

"Fine then. What do you want from me, Scathach?" I asked with a weary sigh. Scathach interlocked her fingers, resting them on her stomach as she seemed to fall into deep thought. It appeared as if she was already thinking up a lengthy list of demands that I couldn't possibly meet. I was already starting to already regret my words. While they had been few, they had been more than enough ammunition to Scathach. However it was too late to take back my words at this point, all I could do was prepare to be lectured. Either that or pretend to fall back asleep, but that chance had long since passed.

"There are very few things I would want from someone such as yourself…." Scathach murmured and I raised my brow in suspicion. "... However there is one thing I would like from you, which is just a little honesty." Scathach said and I could only grumble in response. "If you can not even grant me this simple request, then I suggest you go back to sleep."

"I didn't say anything, all I did was grumble. Something you should be all too familiar with." I said. Scathach's furrowed her eyebrows and a frown formed on her face in irritation at my words. "... But alright then, what is it exactly that you want me to tell you?" I asked.

"Well you could start by telling me exactly what you've been doing behind everyone's backs these past few months." Scathach said. I opened my mouth, prepared to object, before being cut short. "And do not tell me "nothing", we nearly died only yesterday." Scathach said as she opened her eyes to turn and face me. This caused me to close my mouth immediately and face forward in defeat. "While you have shown you have little regard for your own life, I must draw the line when you begin putting my own life at risk recklessly and without my permission. I won't allow it."

"...It's not like that Scathach…" I murmured as I scratched my forehead in frustration.

"Oh it is not, is it?" Scathach said mockingly with raised brow. "Even when you are not putting my life in danger needlessly on purpose, you're still putting my life in danger whenever you go and get yourself shot, stabbed, or choked out. Needless to say, our fates are unfortunately bound to one another." Scathach lectured.

"I'm not some sort of suicidal maniac…."

"Oh? Really? That's news to me." Scathach replied.

"May I please explain? You asked me to be honest with you and you're not letting me speak." I asked turning to face Scathach. Scathach narrowed her eyebrows at me with a frown, before returning to her usual blank expression.

"Very well then, go ahead." Scathach said motioning with her hand for me to proceed. She then proceeded to cross her arms across her chest before facing the ceiling and closing her eyes.

"Thank you." I said as I let out an exasperated sigh. "First of all, let me say that I'm truly sorry about what happened yesterday. However I am not trying to get you killed or anyone else for that matter." I said apologetically. "I know that I shouldn't have left you or Mashu in the dark about what I've been doing, but I didn't think that neither of you would be dragged into my battle." I said with a bit of a grumble as I looked back at it now.

"And look at how well that turned out." Scathach said which caused me to only grumble further.

"I know okay! You don't need to harp on me about it."

"So what is it that you've been doing exactly?" Scathach asked which caused me to take a deep breath. "Or will you still not tell me?"

"I said I would be honest with you, and I will stay true to my word. Not only that, but you have a right to know about what nearly got you killed yesterday." I said as I prepared for what to say to Scathach. It shouldn't be as hard as I was making it out to be though, since I only just told Olga the truth mere hours ago. I took one more deep breath before finally speaking up. "...Well over these past few months, I've been trying to put together a case against the person who bombed Chaldea three years back and ultimately is the one behind the Singularities"

"I recall that duty was bestowed upon the people over at Clock Tower." Scathach murmured as she opened her eyes seeming unfazed by my revelation.

"Well yes, it was, but with the Mage Association failing to find anything after all these years… well let's just say an associate of mine took matters into her own hands..." I said before being interrupted.

"By Associate, you mean Rin Tohsaka?" Scathach inquired.

"... Y-Yes I mean Ms. Tohsaka." I replied begrudgingly. "Which was the reason for my trip to Philadelphia, it was there that I meet Rin and it was there she passed the information along to me." I explained. "But might I add I had no idea she was doing this up until we met!" I added turning to face Scathach.

"I'm sure you didn't." Scathach said not facing me.

"I'm telling the truth Scathach!"

"You'll have to forgive me if I take some of what you say with a grain of salt, as you have lied to me before in the past." Scathach said and I let out a sigh. "But for the time being, I'll assume you're telling the truth since you say you're being honest with me."

"I am!" I exclaimed.

"Okay then." Scathach replied still sounding unconvinced. "But carry on with what you were saying, as it was also in Philadelphia where you made national headlines by getting into a citywide shootout." Scathach said as she closed her eyes once more.

"Yes well that was also unexpected; the person behind the bombings and singularities caught wind of our meeting I guess. So they sent a gunman to try and kill me to prevent me from delivering the evidence to Olga." I said as I scratched my forehead. "That's what happened yesterday too no doubt and while I can't prove it, I can think of no one else with the motive to kill me." I said.

"Are you sure about that?" Scathach asked.

"Yes I'm quite sure Scathach." I said with a roll of my eyes. "But that is what happened. The person behind all of this was the one who tried to kill me back in Philadelphia and yesterday's attempt as well, all for the documents that I had in that black briefcase I entrusted with Mashu." I said.

"So let me get this correct. This person, the one behind the singularities, has the money or power to send a gunman to try to kill you, they also knew the exact flight path we were taking to Chaldea, and when we were coming back." Scathach said and I furrowed my eyebrows a little. "This sounds like what we had originally suspected; the person behind everything is an insider of Chaldea." Scathach said.

"Uh yes that's correct…" I said, a little surprised at how quickly Scathach was putting things together. "…Which is why I was trying to keep things hush hush. So they wouldn't know that I was onto them, but that didn't work out as you already know." I said. "But yes the person behind the attacks is a high ranking officer at the top of Chaldea Security Organization." I said nodding my head.

"Well don't leave me in suspense, tell me their name." Scathach said.

"I mean I don't think you'd know who they are, since you're not all that familiar with Chaldea or its personal." I said.

"Some of what you say is true, that I don't know much about the personal here, however I had heard some murmurs of the existence of Chaldea before I became your servant." Scathach said. "Regardless, tell me their name anyway. Since telling me at this point will not put me in any more danger than I am already in." Scathach said dismissively with a wave of her hand.

"T-True…." I murmured before taking a deep breath. "….Alright, her name is Amara of the Islema family." I answered after a moment. Scathach opened her eyes in response and I tilted my head at her. "Well, do you know of her?" I asked.

"No it's as you say, I've never heard of her." Scathach replied. "I only know of the Doctor, The Director, and that one annoying Caster." Scathach said.

"Err… you mean Doctor Da Vinci?" I said.

"That woman, that man, that thing, whatever it wants to call itself." Scathach said with a grunt.

"I don't know what the beef is between you and Da Vinci, Scathach." I murmured.

"I don't like people who pretend to be what they're not." Scathach replied.

"O-Oh, Okay…" I murmured, not really sure what she meant by that.

"Besides don't act like you're any fan of the Doctor either, you avoid her every chance you get." Scathach pointed out and she more or less had a point.

"W-Well it's true that the Doctor is a bit eccentric and certainly an odd character and her personality is a bit overwhelming…." I said scratching my cheek. "... But I don't necessarily think she or err he means any harm." I said.

"Either way I don't trust them, behind that chipper personality is something nefarious I wager." Scathach grumbled. "…Regardless we've strayed off topic, back to the matter at hand. Who is this Amara woman?" Scathach asked.

"Well I don't know that much about her, I've only talked to her two or three times." I said returning my gaze to the ceiling. "But what I can tell you is that she's one of Chaldea's highest ranking officers and was second only to Professor Lev to people on the list of people the Director trusted the most." I said.

"...Well I'm starting to see some sort of connection forming already." Scathach said.

"Oh are you now?" I said with a raised brow. "Well Amara is the eldest daughter of the Islema family, and while I don't know much about them. They're a family that believes they can reach the root by creating the most beautiful human being, or at least that's what Rin told me." I said scratching my cheek. "Anyways, from what I've heard, Amara fell out of grace when she joined Chaldea. She was removed as heir to the Family."

"A disgruntled daughter." Scathach grunted. "While I care little for politics or struggles of mage families, I know enough to know that losing your position as the family heir is a big deal." Scathach said.

"I wouldn't know I come from a normal family..." I said, not trying to comprehend the family life of a Magi. "Other than what I already told you, I can tell you Amara is a woman who is in her early thirties, she has an athletic build, and has long blonde hair with diamond colored eyes." I explained. "She is also popular with the ladies and men in Chaldea." I added.

"That last part was unnecessary." Scathach said.

"Hey! I just thought I'd tell you all I knew." I murmured.

"So a Disgruntled Daughter who fell from grace in her family and is now Chaldea's highest ranking officer with a firm grasp on the Director's ear." Scathach said. "I think I'm getting a picture, but you've yet to explain to me the what, how, and why. What does she have to do with the singularities, and how did she cause all this?" Scathach inquired.

"Well that's a long story Scathach, and I just explained it all to the Director this morning…" I said trailing off still fatigued from the debrief. Scathach however seemed undeterred.

"We have nothing but time at the moment, so if you really wish to get out of bed I suggest you begin explaining." Scathach replied not seeming to budge. This in turn caused me to let out a sigh of defeat.

"Very well Scathach…"

I had spent an hour giving the same debriefing to Scathach that I had given to the Director. During said debrief, Scathach had listened quietly the entire time and now that I was finished she continued to lay there with her eyes closed, not saying a word...

"…I see." Scathach said finally as she crossed her arms across her chest once more. "So Chaldea had a Holy Grail hidden away, and Amara spent years plotting to steal it so she could kick start these singularities, either as some sick way form of revenge against her family or a demented way of reaching the root." Scathach said. "And all the while, Doctor Lev was the only one who knew about her treachery and tried to stop her, but in the end was killed leaving behind only the evidence he had collected along with his journal. Which would be found by Rin and in turn handed over to you." Scathach said.

"In a nutshell, yes you could put it like that." I said.

"And where is Amara right now?" Scathach asked.

"I haven't the faintest idea, but she's not here. I know that much." I replied.

"And what of the Director's decision?" Scathach pressed on.

"Well I only told her of it this morning, so she has yet to come to one." I answered.

"She shouldn't linger too long on what to do. Amara will move to protect herself, now that she knows that you successfully delivered the evidence to the Director." Scathach said. This was something she should be telling the Director not me, but I digress.

"Are you saying that you believe me, despite the fact that I can't show you any of the evidence right now?" I said with raised brow.

".. For now." Scathach replied after a short pause. "I'll easily find out if you've been telling the truth or not in the days to come." Scathach said.

"Geez Scathach…" I grumbled not bothering to try and argue, as it was pointless. "…I suppose you will, regardless of that fact, may I please get out of bed now? I believe that I've been plenty honest in the past hour and told you everything there is to tell about what I've been up too." I stated sternly to an unfazed Scathach. Scathach choose to remain silent for a few moments, and I had thought that she had chosen to go back to sleep. I was gonna be seriously pissed if that had been the case, but there was an hmph from Scathach.

"I suppose you have." Scathach said as she opened her eyes. "Very well then, I'll get out of your way." Scathach said as she grasped the sheets before pulling them back. She proceeded to pull her legs back and swung them around, placing them on the ground before she sat up. Not seeming to bother stretching at all, Scathach stood up from bed and turned facing me, waiting for me to get out of bed.

I slid my way across the bed until I could swing my feet out from underneath the covers. I sat up once I reached the end of the bed and my feet touched the ground, before I got up though, pain from yesterday's wounds hit me and I grasped my sides letting out a groan. Scathach seemed to narrow her eyes at me as if to say "Are you sure you're gonna be fine?" and I dismissed it with a wave of my hand. I eventually stood up out of bed once the pain had subsided and once I was up on my feet I placed my hand on my sides rubbing them.

"Thank you." I said as I turned to face Scathach. She looked at me with her usual blank stare that I had grown accustomed to seeing, and despite our conversation from earlier it would seem as if our non existent relationship remained the same.

"Well you're free to do as you please now, so have fun I guess?" Scathach said as she placed her hand on her hip. "I'll be here in bed in the unfortunate event that you need me." Scathach added.

"So you're just gonna sleep all day?" I asked.

"I don't see why not, it's not as if you haven't slept for days at a time." Scathach said, and she had me there. "Unless of course you wish to be taken for a hypocrite?" Scathach inquired.

"Well Scathach, you already think that I'm a lot of things. So if hypocrite was added to that list, I doubt things would be any different." I said. Scathach seemed to stare at me for a moment before replying.

"... I suppose you're right." Scathach said with a sigh. "Regardless, my job here is done. So go and do whatever it is you plan on doing, I'm going back to bed." Scathach said waving her hand dismissively. She proceeded to lay back down in bed, once in bed she pulled the covers back and turned her back to me. I turned around to face her and looked at her backside for a few moments, reflecting on our conversation for a moment.. "If you don't get going soon, I'll assume you just wasted time I could have spent sleeping." Scathach suddenly spoke up which made me jump a little.

"Geez you're starting to sound like me when it comes to sleep." I said raising my hand up to my head, shaking my head. I heard a disgruntled grunt come from Scathach and turned around letting out a chuckle. I made my way over to my dresser where I found my duffle bag sitting on top. I pulled back the zipper on the bag and opened it where I found most of my belongings in tact, which was a relief considering what it had gone through. I shuffled through my duffle bag until I got a fresh shirt, a pair of pants, and underwear. With fresh clothes in hand I went into the bathroom and got changed…

A few minutes later I came out of the bathroom, changed into a fresh set of clothes. The clothes I had been wearing yesterday had been completely shredded from the crash, so that was minus one pair of pants, shirt, jacket, and coat that I now had. I dropped the ruined clothes on my desk to deal with later and made my way back over to my bed. Once I had made it over to my bed I found Scathach fast asleep, so I guess she really had been exhausted after all. I couldn't blame her though, not after what she had been through. I wondered if Mashu was doing alright, she was probably sleeping as well I wager. I looked down from Scathach where my shoes should be and fumbled about for a bit until I found them. I slid into my brown dress shoes I had brought with me, and looked back up before turning around. Navigating my way through the dark room by the light of my phone, I reached the door and stopped short from exiting. I turned and looked at Scathach once more, who still had her back to me as she slept. A sigh escaped my lips and I shook my head before facing the door once more and heading outside…

* * *

**Thank you for reading as always and for your continued support! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider leaving a favorite/like and be sure to follow Book III to keep up to date when the next chapter comes out. Or better yet hop onto the official Fated Destiny Discord where we talk about all things Fate, Post Salty FGO Rolls, and even talk about Girls Frontline and Azur Lane. Feel free to leave constructive feedback and reviews in the comments below or tell me what you think I need to improve on. Just a reminder that new chapters of Book Three release every two weeks on Friday or Saturday. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to seeing you next time.**

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	18. Chapter Eighteen Saintly Lessons

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Saintly Lessons**

* * *

The door closed behind me and I was greeted by bright lights and bland corridors, not a pleasant combination on my eyes. After recovering from the initial blindness that had ensued, I lowered my arm down from my face and looked around the hall outside my room….

Everything seemed surprisingly normal. Nothing was out of the ordinary; I saw a pair of guys coming towards me casually chatting as normal. They greeted me upon seeing me with a friendly smile and wave of their hand where I do so in exchange. I watched them pass me by, disappearing down the hallway, before I turned around and scratched the back of my head.

"I know the Director hasn't made her decision yet about Amara, but I would have figured people might still be on edge after a VTOL crashed in the courtyard." I murmured to myself. "People are acting as if it's almost a regular occurrence or something." I added under my breath. Oh well, I guess it had become somewhat natural for disaster to strike Chaldea, and nobody had died this time. At least not yet…

It had been several minutes now since I had set off and I don't really know where I was heading. My feet had carried me through the halls of Chaldea and I had just tagged along for the ride, before they had finally brought me to my destination. I looked up from the ground at the door in front of me and then shifted my gaze further upwards to see a number above the top right of the door. I didn't know who the owner of this room was, but my feet had brought me here for a reason. I looked down next to the door and reached out with my hand where I tapped one of the buttons located on the side panel. The door swooshed open in my face and I stepped inside where I was greeted by warm colors that made my eyes heavy with sleep. I looked around where I saw a brown reading chair and a cream colored bed. However, what really stood out the most was the small altar with a cross and unlit candles…

"Chris!" A voice exclaimed suddenly and my attention snapped towards the source to find a familiar face sitting at the desk in front of me. Jeanne stood up from her desk and made her way over to me where she came to a stop in front of me.

That's right; I had been to Jeanne's room before, back when I had been abducted by her. Before I could say anything to Jeanne however, I felt her arms make their way around my chest where she proceeded to squeeze me tightly. I let out a prompt oomph as she squeezed me tightly and burrowed her head into my chest. "I'm so happy to see you, Chris!" Jeanne rejoiced. "I had heard what happened yesterday, but I didn't want to disturb you while you were recovering!"

"I-I'm glad to see you too Jeanne…" I said taken aback before I placed my hands on her backside. We stood there in the doorway for a few moments embracing each other as Jeanne hugged me tightly while I rubbed her backside affectionately. It wasn't until Jeanne's head popped out from my chest that she looked at me sternly with her amethyst colored eyes.

"And then it was not only a few months ago that I woke up in terrible pain as I sensed something dreadful had happened to you!" Jeanne exclaimed. I rose an eyebrow in response, as how could she have sensed that I had been shot months ago. Jeanne must have noticed my sudden eyebrow raise as she closed her eyes in response. "Chris, even if you are not currently in possession of my command seal. The bond between a Servant and Master is not fully severed." Jeanne explained as she opened her eyes.

"O-Oh, I didn't know that. I'll try to keep that in mind…." I said before trailing off.

"Doctor Roman wouldn't tell me what happened, so I became sick with worry." Jeanne said. I was surprised Roman hadn't said anything to her, he was usually the chatty sort, but then again maybe he didn't know himself and if he had maybe he didn't want to worry Jeanne. "So what happened all those months ago? More importantly, what happened yesterday?! I was woken by this loud crash and when I got outside I found one of those large flying crafts crashed in the courtyard, but the occupants had already been cleared out. So I assumed you all had been taken to the Doctor, but by the time I got there the only one who had been there was Mashu. She told me the Director had hauled you off to her office, so at that point I went back to bed." Jeanne explained as she rapped her finger against my chest. "You also stopped writing me after my second letter." Jeanne scolded as she narrowed her eyes at me.

"...I'm sorry Jeanne, it's been a long past few months and a lot has happened. I forgot, that's all." I said wearily. Jeanne furrowed her eyebrows in response and a frown crept onto her lips.

"You do look tired, more so than usual Christopher…." Jeanne murmured. "Has it really been that rough these past months? I thought you were safe back at your home?" Jeanne inquired

"No it's not that Jeanne." I said shaking my head in response. "I've just been working non stop these past few months with very little sleep, that's all. Even now that I'm back, I only got a few hours of sleep." I explained wearily as I rubbed my eyes.

"Then why are you here Chris?! You should get back to your room and get some sleep!" Jeanne exclaimed as she gripped my shoulders.

"I was restless that's all, I woke up and had this sudden urge to walk around." I replied shaking my head. "Then my feet brought me here, and well here I am." I added cracking a slight smile. Jeanne furrowed her eyebrows at me slightly before finally giving me a soft smile of her own.

"Yes here you are indeed." Jeanne said as she let go of my shoulders and proceeded to straighten out the crinkles in my suit jacket before taking a step back. "And so long as you're here, why don't you sit down. You look like you're about to fall over." Jeanne said gesturing over to her desk.

"T-Thanks." I said with a nod of my head. I made my way over to the desk and looked around for a moment. I didn't see any chairs other than the one, so I grabbed the brown reading chair from the corner and brought it up to the desk. I lowered myself down in the chair and soon found myself sinking into it. Looking up I saw Jeanne staring back down at me, she gripped her fingers by her waist.

"Can I get you anything? Some tea perhaps?" Jeanne asked. I stared at Jeanne for a moment dazed before I looked back down, and rubbed the sand from my eyes.

"Umm no I don't need anything, but I'll take some tea please. Thank you." I said as I looked back up at her, my eyes blinking rapidly as I attempted to stay awake. Jeanne nodded her head in understanding.

"What type of tea would you like?" Jeanne asked.

"...Uh some black tea, preferably Lipton tea bags, if you have any. Please." I replied, giving off a faint smile, Jeanne nodded her head once more. "And if you could, just pour a lot of sugar into the cup." I added which caused Jeanne to chuckle

"Ah, you have bit of a sweet tooth Chris?" Jeanne said as she raised her hand to her mouth to hide her amused smile.

"I suppose you could say that." I replied. Jeanne only chuckled some more before turning around and making her way over to the coffee machine sitting on a file cabinet next to her desk. Jeanne opened the top of the machine and reached into a small box where she withdrew a Lipton tea bag and put it in the disc area. I guess it was one of those machines that took special bags or the ones that took k-cups. Either way Jeanne went onto place a coffee mug at the mouth of the coffee machine. I sat there waiting as I listened to the hot water begin to simmer inside of the coffee machine. I diverted my attention back up at Jeanne whose gaze was watching the coffee machine.

"I see that you've figured out to operate a coffee machine, does that mean you're now a technical expert." I said amusingly and Jeanne snapped her attention to me surprised. It seemed to take Jeanne a moment to process what I had said, before she gave me a faint smile.

"Ha Ha, Oh No I'm afraid not." Jeanne said with a laugh. "I still don't know a lot about the technology of this era, but I have figured out how to work some stuff such as coffee makers or vending machines." Jeanne explained as she looked back down at the coffee mug to see the tea had stopped pouring. Jeanne tapped the power button on the machine and proceeded to add a few spoonfuls of sugar. After she had added the sugar she leaned down, gripping the coffee mug in between her hands and rose it up. Jeanne turned around facing me and made her way over to me where she proceeded to lean down offering me tea.

"Thank you Jeanne." I said as I accepted the cup from her hands.

"You're welcome." Jeanne said nodding her head. Jeanne proceeded to take her seat across from me at the desk where she rested her hands in her lap. Jeanne and I sat in silence for a few moments; I looked down at the steaming cup of tea and brought it up to my lips, taking a sip. "... You still have yet to tell me what's going on Chris ..." Jeanne murmured as she rubbed her hands anxiously.

"Huh? What do you mean Jeanne?" I inquired as I lowered the cup from my lips.

"Chris…" Jeanne murmured. "I may be a dumb farm girl, but I'm not oblivious to a present danger." Jeanne said as her expression turned serious. I took another sip from my tea before placing it down on the desk, and then proceeded to let out a sigh.

"No, No you're not Jeanne. You're a very bright young woman." I said resting my arm on the desk and closing my eyes.

"Then please tell me exactly what's going on!" Jeanne pleaded. I knew that Jeanne would have persisted sooner or later; I just had hoped to have avoided the topic for just a little bit longer. It seems though that it was no longer possible. I opened my eyes to see a wide eyed Jeanne looking at me with a worried expression on her face… and I let out a sigh.

"... Well I got shot a few months back while visiting a friend." I finally replied and I saw her eyes widen in horror.

"Sh-Shot!" Jeanne exclaimed mortified. "I thought you said things would be safe back at your home!" Jeanne said, a slight anger flaring her tone.

"It Is!" I said as I reached out gripping her by the shoulder. Jeanne was taken aback, but after a moment loosened up. "It is Jeanne, it is… But the reason I got shot has to do with the work I was telling you about earlier…. Which incidentally has to do with the singularities…" I said and I saw an eyebrow raise.

"The singularities?" Jeanne murmured. "Have you been investigating them in your free time?" Jeanne inquired.

"Well not quite, in fact the Director forbid an independent investigation outside of Clock Towers." I replied as I returned my right hand to my lap and slouched back in my chair. "It wasn't actually the singularity being investigated; it was one into the attacks on Chaldea three years ago. We knew it was an inside job, so Clock Tower took the reins of finding out who our inside man was." I explained and Jeanne nodded her head. "Well a friend of mine was conducting her own investigation into it as a favor, and then she picked up on a lead which led to her finding some critical evidence. One thing ending up leading to another and then it ended up being tied to the singularities. Which we had originally suspected, but not quite on the scale of what my friend uncovered." I said.

"I see ...Chris, could you please tell me what you found?" Jeanne asked and I felt her hand reach down and grasp my own hand in my lap. I looked down at her hand and then back up at her pleading eyes, before finally letting out a another sigh.

"Very well, Jeanne. This makes the third time I've had to give this debrief today, but I'll make an exception just for you…"

I had concluded my explanation minutes ago, leaving Jeanne with a pained expression plastered on her face as she sat there with her arms crossed across her chest and her eyes closed tight. I wasn't sure if Jeanne was trying to process all of what I had said or if she simply disturbed by the revelations, either way it was a minute more before Jeanne spoke up.

"I...I see." Jeanne murmured. "Soo...the inside person you suspected of being the traitor turned out to be one of the highest ranking officers of the organization…" Jeanne said.

"Correct." I replied with a nod of my head.

"...And she hired people to steal artifacts from Chaldea years ago to sell them, only for her to turn around and use the money to pay people to steal more artifacts from Chaldea, which was all part of a smokescreen so she could steal the Holy Grail out from Chaldea's nose unnoticed. Which she did all this using her power and authority to cover it all up." Jeanne said and I nodded my head once more. "Then she used the grail I'm assuming to kick start the singularities we've currently been facing." Jeanne added.

"That last part is more or less theory, but the evidence seems to suggest more or less that she is the cause behind the singularities since it was first detected as early as 2015 and the earliest signs of her betrayal were in 2017. She could have been plotting even sooner than that." I said.

"And you said her name was Amara Ismela?" Jeanne asked.

"Yeah that's her name." I said affirmatively. "Remember back when I told you how Chaldea's Security Forces were structured?" I inquired and Jeanne nodded her head. "Right well, she's the general in charge of our security forces." I said.

"I see…" Jeanne said. "And to think she's been under our noses this entire time..." Jeanne murmured as she cupped her chin.

"Well they say those closest to you are often the ones who will betray you." I said and Jeanne furrowed her eyebrows at me, seeming to express her displeasure at my comment.

"You said it was Lev who uncovered Amara's treachery." Jeanne inquired.

"Yeah if it hadn't been for the work of Doctor Lev, I fear that Amara would have largely gone unnoticed or by the time we had discovered that she had betrayed us it would have been too late." I said as I gripped my hands tightly. "It was only because of his notes that accompanied the evidence he had gathered and left behind, that we were able to uncover Amara's betrayal." I said. Jeanne's expression saddened as she looked down at the hands in her lap, and I saw her grip her hands tightly together.

"The more I hear of Doctor Lev, the more I learn what a good man he was." Jeanne murmured. "Now that I learn that he was the one who helped uncover Amara's betrayal, I wish I had been able to meet him so I could thank him myself." Jeanne said sadly.

"You're not the only one Jeanne." I sighed as my gaze drifted off to the side and I rested my head on my hands. A few moments passed as we sat there in silence, silently mourning the loss of the Doctor.

"...I hope you won't mind me asking, but there is one question that I still have Chris." Jeanne said. I turned and looked at Jeanne to see her now facing me.

"Hmm? What question is that Jeanne?" I asked.

"I just don't understand why do it?" Jeanne asked.

"That's a perfectly reasonable question to ask Jeanne. For every case like this there is a whydunit." I said as I reached out and grasped Jeanne's shoulder, patting it lightly.

"Whydunit?" Jeanne said as she tilted her head.

"It's just something I remember from my studies of Modern Magecraft Theories. It just means why do it." I said waving my hand dismissively, returning it to my lap. "Regardless however, I'm afraid that I don't have an answer to your question. As not even I know what her reasoning is." I admitted. "And I don't think we'll find out till she is brought in and then we can question her, if the Director chooses to bring her in that is. Until then I can only offer theories from my friend Rin Tohsaka which range from reaching the root to revenge on her family." I added.

"What do you mean "if she is brought in"? What is the Director planning to do? Is she not going to bring Amara in?" Jeanne exclaimed.

"Well you have to understand Jeanne; Amara was a close friend and advisor to her. So the revelation of her closest friend betraying her came as a bit of a shock." I explained. "The Director however will come to a final decision regarding what to do with Amara; she just needs to go over the evidence before she does" I said to an unconvinced looking Jeanne. "She was convinced by my debrief, so I am sure Amara will be brought to justice." I said trying to reassure Jeanne the best I could. Jeanne seemed unconvinced however and wore a frown in her response.

"If you say so Chris…"

"Come now Jeanne, cheer up a little." I said as I raised my hand and stroked the hair out from her eyes before proceeding to rub her cheek affectionately. "I'm sure things will work out in the end." I said giving her a sincere smile. Jeanne raised her hand up to my own and gripped it tightly as she cracked a faint smile of her own in return.

"If my partner has faith that things will turn out well, then I should have faith as well." Jeanne replied. Jeanne and I sat there smiling at each other for a few moments before her face began to redden as her eyes trailed down to my hand on her cheek. "Your hand Chris…"

"O-Oh my bad Jeanne." I said as I retracted my hand to my lap. We sat there awkwardly for another moment before I cleared my throat. "Ahem anyway Jeanne, let's not dwindle on the subject any longer." I said as I turned looking at the books and papers filled with writings on her desk. "More importantly, tell me how you've been these past few months at Chaldea. I know you said you were growing bored here in your letters." I said as I scooted closer to the desk where I gripped the coffee mug between my hands before bringing it up to my lips taking a sip.

"Well I wrote you every month telling you how things were going, but you never responded." Jeanne replied.

"Again, I'm deeply sorry Jeanne. I just got so caught up in my work I didn't get a chance to read them." I said earnestly.

"No its fine. Now that I know what you have been up to, I do not blame you." Jeanne said dismissively. "In fact you don't have anything to be sorry for; you were investigating the singularities and even got shot in doing so. While I sat in my room these past few months enjoying myself in the safety of Chaldea's confines." Jeanne said frowning a little. I couldn't help but smile a little as I placed my mug back down on the desk and proceeded to pat Jeanne on the leg.

"Even so Jeanne, friends shouldn't ignore each other even when they're busy. So I'm partially to blame." I said as I returned my hand back to the arm of my chair. Jeanne gave a faint smile and nodded her head in understanding. "So since I didn't read your letters please tell me what you've been up too." I said.

"Yes of course." Jeanne said as a warm smile formed on her lips once more. "Well outside of my usual activities, I've actually spent quite a bit of time working out in the gym trying to stay fit for the next singularity. I also found it to be a bit helpful in dealing with the cold." Jeanne said. I thought that a servant couldn't change physically, but it's probably best not to say anything. I wasn't exactly an expert on servants... "Other than that I've spent a lot of my time browsing Chaldea's library, Doctor Roman says I should find books I like. So far I've found only a few, but there are so many books to go through." Jeanne said. I had completely forgotten that we even had a library, but from what I did remember its collection had been vast. "When I'm not training in the gym or checking out books from the library, I'm in the chapel praying every morning like I always do or I'm in my room practicing my writing and reading." Jeanne said as she sunk into her chair and looked over at the papers on her desk.

"I'm glad to hear that you've found things to occupy yourself with." I said as I placed the coffee mug back down. "So have you made any friends?" I asked.

"O-Oh Friends…." Jeanne murmured as her smile soon went from genuine to fake and she let out a faint chuckle. "Eh well outside of Adam, Erik, and Gerald, not really I'm afraid. Although I did meet a nice woman from the Science department during lunch one day, her name is Cassidy." Jeanne went onto explain. "She's got long blonde hair with a pair of blue eyes that hide behind a pair of glasses; she's around your age and is a very nice person. She told me that she saw me at Sunday Mass one day and was interested in talking to me, so we talked about that amongst a wide range of other topics." Jeanne explained. "We sit together at lunch everyday now and chat."

"She's not from France too is she?" I asked jokingly and Jeanne cracked a smile.

"Haha No, I'm afraid not." Jeanne replied.

"Well that's a friend Jeanne, so that's one plus friend you've made so I'd say you're making some progress." I said amusingly.

"Yeah I guess you're right." Jeanne said as she looked down at her lap in embarrassment. "Everyone has been really nice to me thus far, but I just don't know how to approach people of this day and age, like what should I say to them?" Jeanne asked looking up at me.

"Well I suppose you would say what you'd usually say to anybody of any timeline, things like "Hi, How are you?" or "How are things?" or "Hi I'm Jeanne, what's your name?". Either that or find people who share a common interest with you." I explained and Jeanne furrowed her eyebrows a little at me.

"I-Is it really that easy Chris?" Jeanne asked.

"Well I'm making it simpler than it really is, but it's not that hard to make friends Jeanne." I said as I reached out and patted her shoulder. "I mean you made friends with Mashu and I didn't you? And in the Singularity you made friends with Marie, Amadeus, and Siegfried." I pointed out.

"Well who wouldn't make friends with Marie? She was such an outgoing and friendly person who liked everybody even her enemies." Jeanne said, which was true enough. "Siegfried was a kind and noble man with a heart of gold so he was easy to get along with. Amadeus meanwhile, I'm not sure if I could say we were friends. We got along well, but I don't think he ever really liked me." Jeanne murmured.

"I'm sure he did, he just had a funny way of showing it." I said thinking back on the weird man that was Amadeus. "But Jeanne you went before a King to plead your case, and then went onto to lead the French Army to retake Orleans." I said.

"That was different Chris, that was fighting to defend my homeland." Jeanne said. "They were also my fellow countrymen so they were a bit more relatable to speak too." Jeanne added "While here I'm just a peasant girl from the 15th century in the 21st century. I know nothing about this time, nor its people." Jeanne said.

"People are still people Jeanne." I said as my hand went from her shoulder to her head where I patted her gently. "And nobody is gonna care whether or not you're a farmer's daughter. Everybody here at Chaldea is as nice and considerate as you said, you just gotta talk to them and I'm sure you'll make friends fast I'm sure."

"Everybody except Amara, right?" Jeanne asked.

"Except Amara, but we're not including her." I said with a chuckle as I returned my hand to my side.

"... I suppose you're right, I'll try and talk to more people." Jeanne said and I saw a faint smile form on her lips as she looked down at her hands. "The Doctor and I have become good friends though since you left, since he's been helping me with my writing and reading skills. In fact he's the one who helped me write those letters to you, he has given me lots of helpful advice and given me some history books to read so I can become more familiar with this age." Jeanne said as she looked up at me revealing her warm smile.

"Well I'd hope so since I asked him too, but he's a really great guy. Just don't let him know I said that." I said jokingly which caused Jeanne to laugh a little. "I'm glad you and him have become friends, since you'll be dealing with him in our future singularities." I added.

"Yeah, the Doctor and I get along really well. I find him quite amusing at times." Jeanne said raising her hand up as she chuckled.

"Well to this day I still wonder if he's doing it on purpose or accident." I said as I clapped my hands together and turned my attention back to the work on Jeanne's desk.

"Regardless, you mentioned how you've been reading and writing" I said. "How have your studies been going? You haven't been slacking off, I hope?" I inquired.

"No of course not Chris!" Jeanne said shaking her head. "I told you I would learn how to read and write, and I've been studying day and night ever since you left!" Jeanne exclaimed. "I was actually working on a writing assignment Roman had assigned me, before you came in." Jeanne said.

"Ah so that's what you were working on." I said as my eyes glazed over the paperwork spread out amongst her desk.

"Yeah, I was working on my writing." Jeanne said as she grasped one of the papers atop her desk and lifted it up to look it over. "However I was running into some difficulties on this one part." Jeanne said.

"Well I was the one who promised to teach you how to read and write, and Roman ended up being the one to teach you." I said as I leaned forward. "So why don't you let me help you." I said and Jeanne looked over at me.

"Thank you Chris…" Jeanne said with a warm smile and nod of her head. Jeanne offered me the paper and I took it from her hands.

"No need to thank me Jeanne, It was my responsibility to begin with." I said and Jeanne furrowed her brow a little. "Besides I'm at least halfway decent at English, so I think I should be able to help you." I said jokingly as I looked down at the paper in my hands. I looked over Jeanne's assignment for a few moments. "Ah I see that Roman has been giving you English assignments to do." I said finally.

"Yes, at least that's what I think I've been doing. Roman started off with teaching me the English Alphabet and then went onto word pronunciations before moving onto forming sentence structures." Jeanne said. "Right now I've been filling in the blanks with words from a word bank; I have to choose the right words for the sentences." Jeanne explained.

"I see." I said as my eyes scanned the paper. "I would have done the same with the alphabet but then I would have tried an online class, but now that I think about it that perhaps might not have been such a great idea since I'd have to teach you how to use a computer as well." I said and Jeanne let out a weak smile. "But Roman must be doing something right since he managed to teach an illiterate French girl basic English Writing and Reading skills thus far." I said jokingly and Jeanne laughed in response.

"That's true; the Doctor has been a good teacher." Jeanne said with a nod of the head. "He managed to do what my parents could not do. In the past I disliked studying so perhaps that played a major factor in my illiteracy." Jeanne said. "A-and I still kind of do, but this time I'm determined!" Jeanne exclaimed raising her fist.

"That's a good attitude to have Jeanne; you'll need it if you want to succeed." I said amused as I reached out and patted her on the head.

"Thank you Chris!" Jeanne said as she lowered her fist and smiled. "However I admit even though I'm able to read some basic literature, I still find myself struggling with a lot of the words and have to consult the dictionary." Jeanne said as she reached to the side and grabbed a black book with the words English Dictionary on the cover.

"Don't worry Jeanne, before the next singularity I'll make sure to come and help you every day." I said as I placed the paper down. I reached out and grabbed a pencil from a cup on her desk and proceeded to tap against the paper. "Now come on Jeanne, let's not waste any time. I've been distracting you enough as is and we should get back to work." I said.

"R-Right!" Jeanne said as she placed the dictionary off to the side and picked up her pencil. Jeanne seemed to switch to study mode as she put her head down as she looked at the paper. Her pencil hovered above a blank spot for a while and the minutes seemed to tick by in the process. I hovered besides Jeanne with my coffee cup in hand as I watched her concentrate. Jeanne sure wore a serious expression on her face while she was studying, which perhaps reflected how serious she was taking it. A few more moments had passed and Jeanne hadn't written anything at this point. So I decided to offer my assistance.

"Do you need any help Jeanne?" I asked and Jeanne looked up from her paper at me.

"Oh… umm yes actually." Jeanne replied. "I was having trouble matching this word with this sentence." Jeanne frowned as she pointed at the sentence in question. "Roman told me to use the Dictionary as a last resort, but this sentence has me stumped." Jeanne said.

"Well you should use the dictionary if you can't figure it out, Jeanne." I said. Jeanne sulked as she looked back down at the paper.

"I know, but I really wanted to try and figure this one out on my own." Jeanne said.

"Well you should do so in the future, and then memorize the definitions." I said. "But I'll help you out on this one." I said and looked down at the paper.

"The…. Knight was always humane in their dealings, treating others he came across with compassion and kindness." I said and furrowed my eyebrows a little. I could only wonder if Roman wrote up these assignments himself or got them online. "The word you're looking for is benevolent, Jeanne." I said pointing out the word in the box.

"Be-nev-o-lent?" Jeanne said tilting her head.

"Yes, Benevolent. It means well meaning and kindly." I said. "Just like you Jeanne." I added and a red streak went across Jeanne's face.

"T-Th-Thank you Chris!" Jeanne sputtered out her thanks as she hid her embarrassment in her paper and began writing down benevolent in the word space. I could only chuckle in amusement as I watched her; Jeanne always gave the best reactions when someone was complimenting her. I took a sip from my coffee mug and I watched as Jeanne made it through a few of the words on her own. It was a few more minutes before Jeanne asked for my assistance as she looked up at me, her embarrassment from earlier was gone now.

"And what about this one Chris?" Jeanne asked and I looked down at where she was pointing at. After a moment I responded and pointed out the word:

"Oh that one is…."

Jeanne and I would proceed to spend the next several hours working on various writing assignments given to her by Roman. Before long the clock in Jeanne's room had struck eight o'clock and I found my eyes grow weary again causing me to retract back into my seat, giving Jeanne advice or help as necessary from there.

"Alright so that's done, now we need to move onto…." Jeanne said but I didn't catch what she said as her words faded and I felt myself dozing off. "Chris...!" Jeanne exclaimed and I slipped back into consciousness.

"Huh? What?" I said as I sleepily opened my eyes.

"I said now that's done we need to move onto my next assignment which is memorizing word definitions." Jeanne said and I raised my fingers up to my eyes to rub at the sleep building in them.

"Oh, my bad." I replied as I began rubbing my face. As I did so I felt Jeanne's gaze watching me and I crossed my arms in response. I felt myself already sinking back into the chair as it seemed as if it wanted me to sleep.

"...Chris you look like you're about to pass out." Jeanne said with a concerned expression on her face.

"Yeah, Just about." I replied truthfully as I rested my head against my fist trying to keep my head from nodding off.

"When did you go to bed, Chris?" Jeanne asked.

"...I don't frankly know to be honest with you." I replied. "We got back sometime in the morning, the sun hadn't risen quite yet when we arrived. When we crashed down in the courtyard we were brought to the medical wing, and I spent maybe thirty minutes or less in the infirmary." I said. "Then just when Roman was about to let us go I got dragged off to the Directors office and I spent an hour or so there and by the time I had gotten out from the debriefing the sun was pretty high in the sky, and when I got to my room I was too tired to care what time it was." I explained.

"And what time did you wake up?" Jeanne inquired.

"I'm thinking it was sometime around two…" I replied, letting out a yawn in my answer.

"I see…" Jeanne said as she closed her eyes. "So you didn't sleep that much at all?" Jeanne inquired.

"Well I mean I slept from morning till afternoon, so I mean it's not like I didn't get any sleep at all..." I replied before being cut off.

"That may be so Chris, but after incurring such injuries you really need more than just a standard 8 hours of sleep." Jeanne said as she opened her eyes and they trailed over to the paperwork at her desk. "I have already gotten more than enough work done thanks to your help Chris, so I think we can call it quits for today." Jeanne said as she looked back at me.

"No I'm fine Jeanne, we can still…" I said before being abruptly cut off.

"I won't hear any of it Chris, you need to sleep and get well after what you went through." Jeanne said as she dusted her pants off before standing up. I looked up at Jeanne who was now standing over me. "It can't be helped." Jeanne said as she reached down and grasped my hands.

"W-Wha… Jeanne?" I murmured still dazed as Jeanne pulled me up out of my chair. I let out an oomph as I was pulled up onto my feet. Just as I began to collect myself I felt myself being dragged across the room by Jeanne and before I knew it we were in front of Jeanne's bed.

"You can use my bed for tonight." Jeanne said gesturing her hand towards her comfy looking bed. Jeanne's bed was made out of warm colored comforters and had four pillows, I already felt myself wanting to collapse into the warmth of colors. "It's already pretty late and I'd hate for you to have to walk back to your room."

"I'm not walking back to my room in the dark, Jeanne…" I murmured.

"Yes I know that, but at the rate you're going. You'll likely pass out and hit your head on the floor." Jeanne stated. Which may or may or not be true, it did feel as If I was about to keel over from exhaustion.

"M-Maybe…" I said.

"Come on now Chris, don't be so stubborn." Jeanne said as she sat down on her bedside still gripping my hands tightly. "I'll even let you rest on my lap like back in France." Jeanne said looking up at my warmly. I still remember sleeping in Jeanne's lap, and I recall that it had been like sleeping on heaven itself. However now that we were back in Chaldea, the idea itself seemed awkward. This was like something out of one of those romance novels that women read.

"I don't know Jeanne..." I murmured looking down at her. Just like last time however, Jeanne interrupted me before I could finish speaking.

"Quit being so stubborn. You need to get some rest." Jeanne said pulling down on my arms. It seemed as if Jeanne had no intention of letting this matter go or my hands for that matter, so I let out a sigh in defeat.

"Very well then." I said defeated. I saw a bright smile creep onto Jeanne's lips as she looked up at me. I kicked my shoes off underneath her bed and just as I finished doing so I felt myself pulled downwards into bed.

Before I knew it, I found myself sprawled out on top of Jeanne in bed with my head resting on her stomach. That feeling of being in heaven returned as I quickly felt myself sinking into her embrace, I didn't know where to place my hands however so I opted to rest them by Jeanne's sides. Jeanne placed her hands on top of my head as I did so. "I don't remember you being this aggressive." I murmured as I turned my head over on her stomach.

"And I don't remember you turning down a chance to lie in my lap back in France." Jeanne said as she stroked my head affectionately. "Besides I'm just looking out for the well being of my Master, that's all." Jeanne muttered.

"Mmm, If you insist…" I murmured.

"I do insist. As your servant I need to look out for your well being." Jeanne said as she stroked her hand across my forehead. "Now then, let's forget about Amara or my studies for the time being and tell me about what you've been up to while you've been away." Jeanne inquired.

"Well I already told you Jeanne, I've been working these past few months investigating evidence and putting together Lev's notes to present to the Director…" I said.

"I know that already." Jeanne berated me. "But I meant, what have you personally been when you've not been working…?" Jeanne asked.

"..Uh well I didn't really find much time to do anything outside of work." I replied and I heard a sigh escape Jeanne's lips.

"Geez, you really did do nothing but work the entire time." Jeanne said seeming to lightly scold me. "I suppose though that it is understandable, given the importance of the work." Jeanne said.

"I'm afraid I don't find myself very often with free time these past few years. Chaldea always has something for me to do one way or another." I muttered thinking about how many hours I've spent slouched over my computer at home.

"I see…" Jeanne murmured. "Well what do you like to do when you have free time? Like what are your hobbies?" Jeanne asked as she stroked her fingers through my hair.

"If sleeping is counted as a hobby, I like to do that whenever I have a moment to spare." I said and Jeanne let out a faint chuckle in response.

"I think everybody likes to sleep even me, Christopher. So I'm not sure if that can be counted as a hobby." Jeanne replied and I let out a soft sigh.

"That's true I suppose." I said and thought for a moment. "Well back when I had loads of free time on my hands, more than I knew what to do with. I liked to work on my car and when I wasn't doing that I liked to work on little projects of mine. I would design and build things for myself; they were pet projects of mine." I explained.

"Ah yes that's right, you were a ummm… Engineer was it?" Jeanne asked.

"Yes that's right; I didn't major in shooting things." I replied and Jeanne let out a faint chuckle. "I actually went to school to be a Mechanical Engineer, and that's what I graduated with." I said.

"If I may ask then, why are you here if you went to school to become an Engineer?" Jeanne asked causing me to grumble a little as I had asked myself that question everyday.

"That's a story for another day Jeanne I'm too tired, for now let's just say it was the job market." I murmured as I buried my face into her stomach.

"Mm Alright." Jeanne replied as she stroked downward... "So if I may ask, can you tell me about where you live?" Jeanne asked.

"Where I live..?" I murmured as I peeked out from her stomach, Jeanne looked down at me smiling. "Where I live its cold, not as cold as it is here, but we get plenty of snow. The area is covered in woodland with rivers cutting through the land exiting into lakes or ponds, and while there are no mountains where I live if you keep going east you'll run into the Appalachian Mountains." I said describing the rural countryside of Pennsylvania to her.

"And you said this land called America is south of where we are?" Jeanne inquired.

"Well it's actually called the United States of America, a union made out of fifty independent states. We're technically both in North America." I explained. "South America is on the other side of the equator of North America." I added.

"I see." Jeanne murmured. "I'm not quite sure what the equator is, but I think I understand." Jeanne said.

"The equator is just an imaginary line that evenly divides the planet into the northern and southern hemisphere at the 0 latitude point." I explained briefly.

"Oh okay, I think I somewhat understand now." Jeanne said with a nod of the head. "…This homeland of yours though, sounds much like France, with its forests and rivers." Jeanne said.

"Yeah there's a little bit of semblance in the environments." I said. "But France can fit into one of our states." I added.

"Oh wow!" Jeanne exclaimed. "So this country, the United States of America, is very large, yes?" Jeanne inquired.

"Considering several of the European nations can fit inside of the US states, I would say so, yes." I said and Jeanne let out another gasp.

"This United States sure sounds like an interesting place." Jeanne said. "When I'm in the cafeteria I will often see news headlines go across the television from the United States." Jeanne said. I'm pretty sure that was because the tvs in the cafeteria were all switched to US stations, but that was besides the point.

"Yeah a lot happens in my country, the three major players in today's climate are the United States, Russia, and China." I said. "So if any of those three countries do something, its bound to attract headlines." I added.

"So France is no longer considered a major power I presume?" Jeanne inquired.

"Well I wouldn't say France is not a major power, but their power along with any of the European nation states have greatly diminished in the past century." I explained.

"Hmmm…" Jeanne murmured and then spoke up after a while. "I do not mind that news, I would rather my country not have to bear the burden of the world anymore. After hundreds of years at war I would rather we be left alone to mind our own business, worrying about its own people instead." Jeanne said with a sigh of relief.

"That's a positive outlook on things Jeanne, one I wish more people shared." I replied as I lowered my face back into Jeanne's stomach. "Even now countries still vie for power and wish to police the world." I murmured.

"Hmm even now that does not surprise me." Jeanne said as she stroked the back of my head. "But for now let's not worry about such things; instead I'd like to hear some more about where you live." Jeanne said.

"But I already told you about where I live Jeanne." I said as I turned my head on its side and looked up at her once again.

"I know that silly, but I meant that I'd like to hear about where you personally live." Jeanne said as she stroked the hair from my eyes. My gaze shifted back down from Jeanne as I thought about home.

"My home is fifteen minutes from the closest city, Pittsburgh. It's in what one could call the suburbs." I replied. "My house is located at the other end of the pond." I said. "There are several other houses that line the pond, including my own. The houses line a road that loops around the lake before returning to the highway." I said as I remembered the road I had taken many times to get home.

"Where you live, it sounds very beautiful." Jeanne said as she continued to stroke my head.

"Mmmm, very much so." I replied as the images of scenery popped up in my mind. "At the end of the pond is where my home lies, overlooking the surrounding neighborhood and pond." I said. "It's not that big of a home, just a one bedroom, one bath that I rent. The living room has a trio of large glass windows that let you overlook the pond, and in the kitchen you can see out into the backyard. My bedroom only has but one window, but it is a large one with a reading chair that lets one overlook the beautiful scenery." I said thinking of my home, my eyes beginning to weigh heavy with sleep.

"The more you tell me about your home Chris, the more I wish to see it with my own eyes." Jeanne said with a soft smile. "The beauty of the place sounds like it is a sight to behold."

"It truly is Jeanne, and I promise I'll take you to see it one day…." I murmured.

"I'm looking forward to it." Jeanne mused. "But I can only imagine how much it cost to live in such a place." Jeanne said.

"Well you're certainly right. The value of every house in my neighborhood is in the six digit range." I murmured thinking back when I once considered buying a home there. "But let's just say I did the manger a favor back in the day, and because of said favor I get to live in such a beautiful area cheaply. The only condition being that I maintain the house and yard out of my own pocket." I added.

"I see, you must have many friends Chris." Jeanne said as she ran her soft delicate fingers through my hair.

"Not as many as you might think." I replied.

"I don't believe that for a second." Jeanne said and at the moment I was too tired to argue back. "Now don't stop, please tell me more." Jeanne said.

"Well what more else is there to say?" I asked and pondered for a moment. "During the Spring the trees will regrow their leaves and the flowers will blossom, and for most years we will have several months of rain." I said. "Watching the pond you can see the ripples across the pond, and you'll often find several geese and ducks out on the pond during the rainy season." I added.

"They often say when it rains, it is God's tears." Jeanne said.

"I thought you ended God's sorrows Jeanne?" I asked.

"Mm I didn't say they were tears of sorrow, perhaps they are tears of joy at the sheer beauty of where you live." Jeanne replied which left me stumped for a witty reply.

"I see…" I said as I slowly closed my eyes. "In the summer after the rain has cleared, the sun will shine brightly in the sky basking our neighborhood in its warmth. The trees that line the pond will have regained their leaves, while the flowers will have fully blossomed. On the clear blue pond you will see the kids enjoying their summer break as they swim about and play in their yards. Meanwhile the adults will pull their sports cars out for the summer, to take them for a drive." I said.

"Mmm and in the Fall?" Jeanne inquired.

"In the Fall the leaves will change orange, red, and yellow. By the time October arrives, the ground will be covered in leaves as they wither away with the end of Summer." I said. "The kids will head back to school, but will still be seen playing in their yards. The sports cars will slowly return to their hibernation until next summer." I said and Jeanne let out an amused chuckle. "The ducks and geese will reclaim the pond in the Fall and you will see leaves floating about the surface. Looking out on the pond you will see the brightly colored trees as they reflect off the surface." I said as I felt myself sinking into Jeanne's warmth.

"The Fall where you live sounds amazing." Jeanne said as she now softly stroked the back of my head.

"Fall is one of my favorite seasons, but I love the Winter as well." I replied and felt a faint smile form on my lips. "In the Winter we're blanketed in snow from late October all the way into April or May depending on the year." I said. "The snow will cover the ground, the trees, and the houses in a white blanket. We sometimes get as much as four to three feet of snow so I'll find myself sometimes unable to leave my driveway." I said causing Jeanne to chuckle once more. "The pond will freeze over in a solid layer of ice during the Winter. When it does people will go out and ice skate while some will even carve holes in the ice and go ice fishing." I said as I visualized the frozen pond in my mind.

"Do you Ice Skate Chris?" Jeanne asked. The last time I had tried to ice skate I ended up landing on my ass.

"No, but Mashu and Lancer do." I replied shaking my head. "I much rather prefer to watch from the sidelines back on solid land. But I do find it relaxing to sit out on the bench with a hot cup of coffee and take in the scenery during the Winter." I added.

"I don't know how you can love the cold so much Chris? Don't you get sick of it from all the snow and cold we get here?" Jeanne inquired.

"Eh some people might, but not me." I replied. "I was born and raised in a place that can get as hot as ninety to one hundred degrees for days at a time. In the winters we never got any snow at all, only hail or ice storms." I said. "So when you spend half of your life nearly dying of heat strokes, freezing to death doesn't actually sound so bad." I said jokingly and Jeanne laughed. "Besides when you're cold all you have to do is put on warm clothes, what do you do when its blazing hot? There's only so much clothes one can shed." I said.

"That's true I suppose…" Jeanne mused.

"Besides my dog also likes to play in the snow." I said.

"Oh you have a dog?" Jeanne inquired, her interest piqued.

"Yes he's a golden retriever named Shadow." I replied. "His long fur makes things uncomfortable for him during the hot weather, so he likes the cooler climate." I said.

"I bet he's a very beautiful dog." Jeanne said with a warm smile. "I'd very much like to meet Shadow one day." Jeanne stated.

"I'm sure Shadow will love you when he meets you, just as he did with Lancer and Mashu…" I said before trailing off, as I felt my consciousness fading. Jeanne's warmth was overwhelming me at this point and I felt my arms slowly wrap around Jeanne's waist as I nuzzled into her stomach. "... Jeanne I think I'm going to…. Go to sleep now…" I murmured as the heavy burden of sleep soon overtook me. Before I slipped into the darkness, I heard Jeanne let out a giggle and whispered softly:

"Good Night Christopher ..."

* * *

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	19. Chapter Nineteen Hard Justice

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Hard Justice**

* * *

Somewhere deep in the lush Finnish Wilderness an airfield sat with its several adjoining buildings and hangers to accompany it. The airfield laid there undisturbed atop the frozen landscape on a crisp morning with dark clouds lingering in the sky as they dusted the area in a light snow. A small white and black colored bird landed on one of the branches of the many pine trees overlooking the airfield to rest. Looking down at the base from afar it appeared one would think the airfield was abandoned, perhaps a relic of the Second World War. However from the perspective of the bird one could make out armed men in winter camouflage patrolling the grounds and ones manning the many towers that lined the barbed wire fencing that encased the airfield. Outside of the heavily guarded airfield out in the middle of nowhere, it was an ordinary peaceful day out in the wild. Sharing in the tranquility of the forest the song birds in the surrounding area began chirping happily and upon hearing its fellow songbirds chirp, the black and white bird joined with its compatriots in song.

The peaceful morning was soon overshadowed as the airbase was rocked by a massive explosion in the north. The birds ceased their singing and fled from their trees soon afterwards, heading into the sky sending the forest back into eerie silence. Black smoke billowed from the site of the explosions and several of the armed men began to make their way towards the smoke. The single black and white bird had remained behind whilst the other birds had fled, perched on its branch watching the chaos from above. The bird watched as the smoke continued to rise into the sky above, it hopped forward a few steps to get a closer look from its branch. As the bird watched the ongoing scene another explosion soon consumed it's retina as the base was rocked once again by another explosion, the echo of gunshots throughout the forest soon followed suit. The bird tilted its head in confusion as it watched on; it soon began to chirp excitedly enjoying the show. Before the bird could get comfy however, its branch shook violently causing it to jump around in surprise. Behind it now was a black foreign looking object gripping the branch tightly; the bird approached it with caution. Its head tilted in curiosity as it reached the foreign object gripping its branch. It proceeded to peck at the object and when it gave no response, the bird to let out a chirp. Before it could peer down to see what was attached to the object, a flurry of white filled its vision as another foreign object appeared from below and gripped the branch. The sudden surprise of another foreign object so close to it was enough to spook the bird into leaping backwards into flight. The bird flapped its wings taking off into the sky as more explosions erupted below...

"Oh Shit, Oh Shit, Oh Shit!" I murmured as I rushed forward, gripping my helmet tightly as I ducked my head narrowly avoiding blasts of mana that went overhead. I could hear the snow crunching beneath my boots as I carried my body forward to carry out the mission that had been assigned to me. My mission in question was to make my way back to headquarters and report the situation to Command, we were fighting an unwinnable battle I was told. That is the task that had been given to me moments before my commanding officer had been slashed in half before my very eyes. Even now I could hear the ongoing gunfire behind me as my comrades in arms fought that thing, that monster. The gunfire would be cut short however by the sounds of their shrill screams as they were cut down. I don't understand how today had taken such a turn for the worst, it was all so surreal….

It had been an ordinary peaceful morning while we were doing our morning rounds, before we knew it the base was rocked by a trio of explosions. Our power and comms had all been taken out in the first and second attack, so we had assumed it had been some sort of coordinated attack. However there had been no signs of enemies at the points of attack and the third explosion had occurred at the front gate, so we conveyed on that location. By the time we had arrived the smoke was beginning to clear, and as it did we found a single figure standing alone at the gate. At first we were confused as to why there was only one attacker, but it was to our horror when we discovered that corpses of at least half a dozen men that laid at their feet. The images were still fresh in my mind, several men and women who I had known personally now lay face down in the snow dead while several of them had their insides spewing out into the snow as they had been cut in half, and others lay face forward choking on their own blood. The snow that blanketed the ground had been painted a bright crimson color. The sight had made several of the men, including myself; want to vomit right then and there.

The Sarg kept a strong face in spite of the scene in front of us and ordered us to spread out and take cover, the figure remained unfazed by our movements. By the time we had taken up cover with our rifles now aimed on it, the monster had not moved from its spot since then. It had been an oddity that it hadn't moved a muscle, allowing us to take up positions and prepare ourselves; however I would soon find out why it hadn't bothered to take action. Having already identified it as a hostile, the Sergeant ordered us to open fire on the monster. The first shots rang out and soon the air filled with gun smoke as everyone squeezed off several short bursts, and our target was soon riddled by a hailstorm of bullets. Some of us may have had naive thoughts like how this was going to be an easy kill, but those thoughts were soon diminished as we watched our bullets quite literally bounce off of whatever armor that monster was made out of. Empty shell casings now lay at our feet and the monster was still alive, the Sergeant ordered us to cease fire and prepare to retreat. However within moments of the cease fire order, the monster swung its weapon upwards and in the blink of an eye half of our squad had been wiped out. We could barely believe our own eyes, and perhaps it was out of grief, but one of my squad mates exited from cover and casted a spell. It had been nothing more than a mid level attack spell, however it was still dangerous none the less to most people. So far though this person had proven to be nothing but ordinary, so when the mana attack hit its mark and we watched with our own eyes as it appeared to cancel out on impact, I think we were all a bit astonished. The monster, perhaps having a morbid sense of humor, responded in kind by raising, what I could only assume was its hand, and launched a magic attack of its own. My squad mate soon collapsed backwards in the snow with a gaping hole in his chest as the mana attack tore through his armor and chest.

At this point only four out of the ten members of our squad remained and we all looked at our Sergeant nervously. For the first time in our long history together I had saw a glint of nervousness in the eyes of the Sergeant, but he put on a brave face for us and gave us our orders. He and the others would hold the monster at bay while I would run to command and inform them of our current situation. I was hesitant to leave my squad behind at first, but the Sergeant said not to worry that back up would be here any moment. Perhaps because of the fool that I was, I believed my Sergeant's words. I nodded my head at him in understanding, and my squad mates proceeded to give me covering fire. Before I could take off however I was swept off my feet by an explosion and I hit the snow with a loud crunch. My vision became disoriented and as it returned I saw the Sarg standing over me offering me his hand. As I reached out to grasp his hand however, I saw the Sarg's expression change to shock and a moment later my entire front side was splattered with blood as the Sergeant's top half slipped off his legs. My eyes followed his torso, watching in horror as it hit the snow with a plop and the life faded from his eyes, my eyes slowly shifted upwards from his body where I saw the monster now standing over me. Every fiber of my being was telling me to flee this armored beast, but my body was frozen in fear. I had thought I was going to be killed then and there, but my ears rang with the sound of gunfire and several bullets deflected off of the monster. I looked off to my right to see my squad mate taking aim at the monster while he yelled at me to get going. With the monster distracted by my squad mate, I grasped my rifle by my side and backed up before scrambling to my feet. I fled in the opposite direction as soon as I was on my feet, leaving my squad mates to their fate...

That had all happened only minutes ago. I still had lingering thoughts wondering if I should have abandoned my squad mates, but I couldn't think about that now. I needed to get to command and warn them of how dire our situation was. My feet carried me forward towards the command center on the other side of the airfield; I was at least half way there by now. I couldn't let the lives of my squad mates be in vein, I had to deliver the message Sarg had given me to Command. Hopefully Command would know what to do when I informed them of the current situation going on at the gate; they would formulate some sort of strategy to defeat the monster. So preoccupied by my thoughts I hadn't even been paying attention to where I was going and I bumped into something.

"Hey watch where you're going!" A voice exclaimed and my attention snapped upwards to see another soldier standing in front of me. Behind him were several rows of soldiers with several armored vehicles in the back, seeming to be a platoon sized response. The soldier in question was an African American officer wearing a white cap to match his snow camouflage.

"O-Oh! Apologies Sir!" I said saluting, standing at attention of a superior officer.

"Where are you going son? The fight's in the other direction." The Lieutenant asked pointing behind me. I can imagine what scene I must have painted, a soldier running away from combat instead of towards it.

"I was ordered to relay the situation at the front gate to Command by my Sergeant, Sir!" I explained.

"Where's your commanding officer soldier?" The Lieutenant asked looking behind me before returning his attention to me.

"Dead Sir. That monster cut him in half back at the gate." I replied somberly. "As is most of my squad I'm afraid." I said, and the Lieutenant seemed to give me a sympathetic look.

"I understand." The Lieutenant replied. "So tell me what we're up against son." The Lieutenant said as he pulled a cigar from his vest pocket and proceeded to light up.

"Uh well, I'm don't frankly know Sir." I replied reaching behind my head scratching my helmet. The Lieutenant looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. "Well what I mean to say, is that the monster is shrouded by some sort of black shroud and we can't make out what it is. What I can tell you though is that the monster is completely resistant to bullets, we pumped several rounds of ammo into that thing and they all just bounced off." I explained. "It also cancelled all of our medium tier spells. I don't know how we're supposed to defeat it." I added.

"Were there any other attackers?" The Lieutenant asked.

"Uh No Sir!" I replied. "Our team was already close by the generators; we investigated it and found nobody there. The only person we've run into was that monster…" I reported.

"A Monster that can bounce bullets like they're nothing and cancels out low tier spells…" The Lieutenant said as he pulled the cigar from his mouth and puffed a ring of smoke. "... Today's gonna be an interesting day." The Lieutenant said looking at me with a confident smile before looking at his men. "Company march!" The Lieutenant ordered as he threw his arm forward. The men did as they were told and began marching forward. I watched as the soldiers marched past me towards their doom before my gaze returned to the Lieutenant. He looked at me as I faced him, his gaze undeterred and lacking any fear in his eyes.

"Sir, if I may. How do you intend on fighting such a monster?" I asked. "It's completely unaffected by bullets and cancels out any magic thrown at it! My squad was completely wiped out and it killed half a squad before my own." I exclaimed. The Lt. reached his hand out resting it on my shoulder and gripped it tightly.

"Don't worry son, we know what we're doing." He said. "I doubt that monster is here without reason, it's probably heading towards the command center. We'll set up in the hangers along the airfield laying in wait for it, when it passes by we'll ambush it using high level spells and the armored personnel carriers will provide support. If all of that fails, we'll at the very least buy time for our specialist." The Lieutenant said.

"It could just go around you or take the long way to the command center." I pointed out.

"It could, it could." He replied nodding his head. "But if we assume its human, then we can also assume it'll take the shortest path there. Humans are generally lazy." He added.

"But what if nothing you do works, you'll all be killed like my squad…!" I exclaimed and the Lieutenant squeezed my arm shoulder tight and shook me.

"We have to do something, otherwise it'll kill us all regardless." The Lieutenant said cutting me off. "If I'm going to die, I'd rather go down fighting than die on my knees." He said as he let go of me and brushed the snow that had accumulated on me, off. "Now carry out your orders soldier and deliver your Sargent's message to command. With any luck, they can evacuate while we hold this monster off." The Lieutenant ordered and I nodded my head hesitantly.

"Yes Sir!" I said saluting. "Also Sir, don't get caught out in the open or hide behind any soft cover. The monster can use magic of its own." I added.

"Noted. Now get going kid!" The Lieutenant said as he gave me a dismissive salute and returned the cigar to his mouth. I nodded my head in understanding and carried on ahead towards the command center, but before I could head out I felt a hand on my shoulder once more. "And hey kid, let it be known the 7th Company went out fighting." The Lieutenant said, and I nodded my head. With that farewell we went our separate ways. More soldiers continued to pass me by as I headed towards command and they headed towards that monster. Soon I was nearing the end of the column and came to a bit of a stop as I watched the APCs roll by me before my gaze shifted forwards where I saw the Lieutenant casually walking besides his men towards the enemy. I still wasn't sure if the Lieutenant was brave or foolish, but I don't think anyone could say he wasn't brave. With that final thought, I shook my head and carried onward…

I broke out into a sprint since I had left the Lieutenant and his men behind, and I could see the air traffic control tower that accompanied the command center building. Behind me I could hear gunshots ring out followed by explosions as the Lieutenant no doubt had made contact with the monster. As I neared the command center I saw a figure standing outside letting snow accumulate on top of her, and as I neared closer I made out our commanding officer.

"G-General! General!" I exclaimed as I came to a screeching stop in front of her. The General looked at me, watching as I caught my breath before I raised my hand up in salute. "General I have news for you!" I finally managed to sputter out.

"Go Ahead Private." The General replied and I lowered my hand.

"Thank you General." I said as I took a moment to catch my breath before proceeding with my report. "General our communications and generators are gone…" I said before being abruptly cut off.

"I can tell that much Private. How many attackers are there?" The General inquired.

"Uh attackers right, I should have started with that." I said breathing in and out. "...There's only one attacker Sir! It's some sort of monster that can deflect bullets and cancel out magic, it killed my entire squad and it wiped out the squad at the front gate." I explained.

"Hmm only one attacker you say?" The General inquired and I nodded my head, she seemed unfazed by what I had said after that. "I had originally figured it was a coordinated attack by three teams, but if there's only one attacker then that means they infiltrated our base last night and set explosive charges at our weak points." The General said as she cupped her chin.

"M-My Sergeant had a message he wanted me to deliver." I said still breathing in deeply. "He told me to inform you that we're facing some sort of High Level Familiar or something, and that the situation is dire. We need to either evacuate or hit it with an array of high level spells." I explained. "That's what he said before the monster cut him in half." I added.

"I'm sorry for your loss Private." The General said sympathetically. "He's not wrong though, but it's not just a high level familiar. It's a servant." The General added and my eyes widened in response.

"A servant!" I exclaimed. "I thought servants only appeared during Holy Grail Wars!" I sputtered out. Servants were something that mages whispered about in secret or read about in our magical studies. I thought servants had disappeared along with the Holy Grail when it was destroyed, I never thought I would see one, let alone that there would be one fighting us.

"A Servant, a servant sent by Chaldea." The General replied and my face was overtaken by shock at hearing Chaldea had sent a servant here to kill us.

"Chaldea? But I don't understand General, why would Chaldea be sending a Servant to kill their own people! We work for Chaldea!" I exclaimed.

"Well let's just say we're out here on my orders, not Chaldea's." The General said as she brushed the snow from her chest. "Director Olga ordered me to stand down and has issued orders for my arrest. I had held some naive hopes about trying to hide from Chaldea, but it seems that not even I can escape the clutches of Chaldea. I'm surprised it only took them a month to find us." The General explained leaving me dumbstruck by her words.

"T-Traitors?! We're all traitors!" I exclaimed grinding my teeth. I couldn't believe what I was hearing; nobody had ever bothered telling me anything about this. Had nobody wanted to tell me or had it been something only the higher ups had been allowed to know.

"Yup we're all traitors now." The General said. "Either way it doesn't matter. The games up, they finally caught up to me." The General said with a shrug. I was still completely dumbstruck by the news and I wasn't sure what to say, everyone had always looked up to the General. Never in our wildest dreams did any of us think she would ever be a traitor to the organization. "So tell me Private, what class did it look like to you?" The General asked.

"Um Class Sir…?" I murmured and I tried to think back to the servant. "Umm I'm not really sure Sir; I couldn't make any details about it. It's shrouded in some sort of dark aura that gave off some sense of dread." I replied.

"Hmm a shame. It doesn't matter at this rate I guess." The General murmured. "If only Olga had given me a servant of my own, maybe we would have stood a chance." The General said as she looked up into the sky.

"I still don't really understand anything that's going on Sir, but there's still a chance we can get out of here!" I exclaimed. If I was a traitor, then I guess there was going back now. Might as well throw my lot in with the General, I'm already this deep. "The 7th Company is fighting the servant right now as we speak and we still have the 6th, 8th, 9th, and 10th companies. There's still a chance we can evacuate or…." I said, but just then I was cut off by the sound of an explosion. I looked over my shoulder and saw as a string of explosions went off ripping through the aircraft hangers. Flames began to rise from the smoldering ruins of the hangers, black smoke followed soon afterwards. Gunshots could still be heard as the 7th company valiantly held their ground.

"Uh well the planes may be gone, but we can still escape…." I said turning around facing the General, before being cut off once more.

"I appreciate your loyalty Private, and your service is greatly appreciated. All of you have made me extremely proud throughout our tenure together ..." The General said as she seemed to smile reminiscing, before she finally let out a sigh. "There is little point in attempting to escape my Fate though, not you nor I could ever possibly hope to escape or let alone beat a servant. Thank you though for your attempts to look after me even after I wound up dragging you into my mess, but even if the servant doesn't get us. The Master will…" The General said.

"Master…?" I murmured and just then a loud gunshot rang in my ears as I stumbled forward as if someone had just struck me from behind. I raised my free hand up to my chest to the place where I felt the stinging pain residing. Placing my hand on my chest I felt sticky wet liquid ooze out onto my hands. My vision became a haze soon after, and I looked down to see what was oozing out of my chest onto my hand and I saw what was blood coating my hands, my own blood. My legs gave out on me just then and my gaze followed my descent as I proceeded to fall face forward into the snow, my body rapidly began to match the cold of the snow.

"I'm sorry you got roped into this…" I heard the General say softly to me. I slowly raised my head to look up at her; the General met my gaze as she kneeled down next to me mournfully. I tried to say something, but no words would leave my lips. A pained smile formed on the General's lips before she looked up suddenly, and I heard the sound of snow crunching beneath something coming from my side. I no longer had the strength to hold my head up so I let it fall face forward into the cold, perhaps the momentary feeling of cold against my face gave me enough strength to tilt my head to the side. Tilting my head I saw nothing other than buildings in the distance and snow, but soon a pair of boots entered my sight and made their way across my field of vision before coming to a stop in front of the General. In their wake I saw crimson stains marking their footprints in the snow.

"I assume you were sent by Chaldea?" I heard the General ask as I saw her stand up out of the corner of her eye. Her question was met by silence and nothing was said for a few moments before the General spoke up. "You won't get any resistance from me; I surrender myself into your custody." The General said and I saw her hold her hands out in front of her. The Servant in question didn't move a muscle for a few moments, eventually though the fur trimmed cloak around the individual was pulled back and I heard the jingle of a pair of handcuffs as they were unclipped from a belt. I felt my life fading, but even still I had to try and do something, anything but just lay here and watch my commanding officer dragged off by a servant that had slaughtered my brothers and sisters in arms.

"G-General don't…." I sputtered out reaching my hand as if to try and stop her. I saw one of the servant's boots turn to meet me as well as the rest of their body. I gritted my teeth as I tried to look up at them, but I didn't have the strength to do so.

"Ignore him, he's only a dying soldier. I'm sure you saw many of them on your way to me." The General said dismissively. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but the General just now sounded so cold compared to her usual self. All of the men had always looked up to the General for her bravery, tactful mind, and compassion. Had it all been an act this entire time, was she really this cold as to ignore the sacrifices of her men and leave me to die! The servant stood still for a moment before turning back to face the General and I heard the subtle click as the handcuffs were placed on the General. I watched as the General was spun around and pushed forward. I saw a Helicopter landing on the airfield on the other side, more than likely the servants ride out of here. I reached my hand out grasping for them once more as the servant marched the General across the airfield leaving me behind. I continued to hear the sounds of gunfire and explosions as more and more of my comrades were picked off or consumed by the chaos. All I could do was watch as the General and Servant grew further and further out of my grasp, until my vision was overtaken by the blinding snow. In my last moments I was left wondering what the General had done to betray Chaldea and if she really had been the person we had all known and admired. None of these questions would ever be answered I realized and soon my conscience gave out and everything went dark…

I looked at the reflection that had formed in my coffee, as I saw myself looking back. I found my mind wandering as I stared into my reflection; I had been doing that a lot recently. My mind would wander off into space and I would get lost in thought, and I was beginning to worry that this might become a persistent problem…

"I still can't believe that Amara would do such a thing." Andersen said and my head shot up to see the British officer pacing back and forth behind his desk as he usually did when he was in thought. "I've known Amara since she first joined, and never in our decade of working together would I have ever thought she would be capable of killing her friends and co-workers to steal from us." Andersen said as he came to a stop and turned around to face me. "I just can't wrap my head around why she would do such a thing."

"I don't know either Andersen, I've been wondering the same thing for quite a while." I said.

"Well what did the Director say? When is she going to bring in Amara to question her?" Andersen asked.

"I don't know." I replied honestly shaking my head. "She hasn't talked to me since we last spoke a month ago." I said. Andersen turned around facing his wall of books and maps where he scratched his head furiously.

"She has to do something; she must know she can't let Amara run loose." Andersen said as he turned around and faced me once more.

"I don't know what to tell you Andersen other than she said she needed time to look over the evidence." I said as I rose my coffee cup and took a sip. Andersen placed his hands on his hips and looked off to his side disgruntled.

"Well why do you think Amara did what she did?" Andersen asked with a gesture of his hand at me. I lowered my coffee cup and held it in my lap as I looked up at him.

"I can only offer my opinion Andersen. Professor Lev didn't uncover her motives and they didn't find anything in her office I heard." I replied. "It's not like she left a journal detailing her secret plans or explaining why she did it all. This isn't like one of those mystery dramas you read Andersen." I added which earned me a grunt from Andersen.

"Alright then smartass." Andersen said. "Then what's your opinion on why you think she did it?" Andersen asked. I took another sip of my coffee before placing it down on Andersen's desk.

"Well most of the opinions I can offer are not of my own, but that of an associate of mine who assisted me in this investigation." I replied. "Perhaps she joined Chaldea with the intention of stealing the grail from the start so she could get revenge on her family, or maybe in her own sick demented way she believes the fastest way to reach the root is to wipe out humanity." I said as I sank back into my chair. "But I found myself often quoting Lord Acton's famous quote "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Maybe Amara originally had joined Chaldea with noble intentions, but as she rose through the ranks of Chaldea her principles eroded." I said. "It could be that the rank of General wasn't enough for her, so when she learned that Chaldea had a grail, she had to have it. Her acquisition of the grail could have set off the law of unintended consequences and the singularities were blow back because of some scheme she had devised or the wish she had." I said shrugging and watched as Andersen seemed to process what I had said. "...Or perhaps she's just a chaotic person by nature. Some people just want to watch the world burn." I said. As straight laced as Andersen was, even he couldn't help but grin.

"Look who's quoting stuff from movies." Andersen pointed out as he waved his hand at me dismissively.

"I'm only giving you my opinion." I replied innocently.

"Sure whatever you say..." Andersen said. "So tell me, when are you expecting to rayshift to the next singularity?" Andersen asked and I shrugged.

"Hell if I know. The Director hasn't said anything about it and neither has Roman." I replied. "All I know is the Director said she'd be bringing us in a few months before the next Singularity." I said.

"I thought that was on an account of your city wide shootout in Philadelphia." Andersen said.

"I didn't cause a shoot out, okay. I got shot, and I only shot back in self defense." I said raising my finger in objection. Andersen could only shake his head at me in response.

"Still it's been awhile since the last one, I wonder where the next one will take place." Andersen said as he cupped his chin.

"It feels like it's been forever since the last singularity." I said. "I mean I'm not in a rush to go back to being shot at or stabbed, but still I'd rather just get it done and over with." I said. "I just hope it's not somewhere hot again." I added.

"Well I guess we'll just have to wait for the Director's word." Andersen said as he pulled out his chair and sat across from me. "Now as much as I've enjoyed our chat, my lunch break is over and I've got work to do." Andersen said as he pulled a file out of a stack and flipped it open proceeding to write.

"I'll get out of your hair then Andersen." I said as I pushed myself up out of my seat excusing myself. I grabbed the styrofoam cup sitting on Andersen's desk and turned around making my way over to the door before Andersen called out to me.

"I'm curious though Christopher, what about your principles. What makes you keep working for Chaldea, what with the power struggles and the threat of constant danger to your life?" Andersen asked. I stood by the door for a moment before I swung around and faced Andersen who was looking at me from his desk.

"Well you know me Andersen, I'm just in it for the paycheck at the end of the week." I said jokingly and Andersen chuckled in response.

"Sure, Sure." Andersen replied seemingly satisfied with my answer. "Now go on and get out of here." Andersen said waving his hand at me dismissively as he returned his attention to his work.

"See you around Andersen." I said as I spun around and exited out the doorway with a wave of the hand, leaving Andersen to his work…

I took a final sip from my coffee before I crumpled my styrofoam cup in my hands and threw it into the nearest waste bin. With that I slid my hands into my pockets and looked around. What on earth was I gonna do now? It was still early in the day and I didn't know what I was gonna do, Jeanne and I don't have our tutor sessions until later on in the day. Mashu was of course her own person with her own hobbies and I'm sure she didn't need me bothering her at all hours of the day, let alone just to alleviate my boredom. So I was left with nothing to do but wander the halls of Chaldea, so that was what I did.

I wandered the halls of Chaldea with my hands in my pockets as I tried to figure out what I was gonna do for the next several hours. While it was true I was still a member of the security force and Chaldea employee, when I had been given the role as a Master those duties had changed and I reported directly to the Director. However as Andersen and I had discussed earlier, Olga still hadn't come to any decision regarding Amara so I was left with no work. I'm pretty sure though that the work I was given during my time home came directly from the Security department. Either way the Director hadn't assigned me any work so I was left with little to do with my time except socialize with co-workers or hold up in my room reading books or playing on my computer. Some days Mashu and I would hang out together along with Jeanne, but most days I was by myself. Well I shouldn't say by myself, I had Scathach with me in my room on most days, but I could hardly her "company" as we never said anything to one another.

"Speak of the devil though…" I murmured as I came to a stop and lowered my arms. On the other side of a glass window I saw Scathach beating a poor punching bag. I made my way over to the double glass doors that lead into the gym where I proceeded to head inside.

Once inside I was greeted by the strong stench of sweat and despair, the gym was particularly packed today as several people were working out, but a lot of them were watching Scathach I saw. Shaking my head I made my way over to the punching bag, approaching Scathach from the other side of the punching bag as she proceeded to beat it to a pulp. Scathach seemed to have been completely focused on her training so I grasped the bag from the other side as I prepared to surprise Scathach by appearing from out of nowhere.

"Hey Scath…." I greeted, but was abruptly cut off before I could continue as the bag rebounded back into me, hitting me with the force of what felt like a 12 ton truck. I staggered back a little and gripped my stomach as I winced in pain. "...Owe… I'm pretty sure I made this same mistake years ago." I groaned as I continued to rub my stomach. Scathach stepped out from behind the punching bag and pierced me with her crimson eyes as she placed her hand on her hip looking at me unamused. I could hear some of the guys who had been watching Scathach chuckle to themselves.

"They say that "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."" Scathach stated.

"Oh yeah, and who said that?" I asked looking up at Scathach still gripping my stomach tightly.

"I'll let you figure that one out on your own." Scathach replied. "Now what are you doing here besides making a fool out of yourself?" Scathach asked.

"Well I was walking by and I saw you beating up that poor punching bag. So I thought I'd drop in and see what you were up too." I replied. "So what were you doing, letting out all of your unvented anger you've had building up." I said with a wry smile.

"Funny." Scathach replied. "No, I was making sure I'm in peak condition for the Singularity coming up, otherwise known as working out. Something you'd be unfamiliar with." Scathach mocked.

"Heh, funny I've never seen you work out before." I said as I looked Scathach over. Scathach had her hair up in a ponytail and she was wearing a grey jacket with black leggings that went down to her ankles and a pair of sneakers.

"One would miss things such as my daily workouts when one is spending most of his time sleeping in bed." Scathach replied with a subtle hand gesture.

"I don't spend most of my day in bed…. Just a bit of it." I replied as I dusted myself off and stood up straight.

"Uh huh." Scathach said. "So what are you really doing here? There is a reason for me to be here, but you on the other hand. You do not work out at all." Scathach stated bluntly this time, as if she thought I hadn't gotten the hint the first several times she had made it.

"Well I told you beforehand, I was walking by and I saw you were working out. So I figured I'd see what you were up too." I replied as I sunk my hands back into my pockets.

"Oh I see how it is." Scathach said and I was already regretting where this was going. "Your girlfriend is busy so you came to bother me?" Scathach replied with a smug look on her face.

"Please perish the thought, you're the last person on a long list of people that I would come too if Jeanne was busy." I replied. "And who's your fan club, huh?" I said motioning to the guys who were watching us. Scathach looked over her shoulder and the guys scattered and fled leaving only Adam behind. Adam seeing that his comrades in peeking had left him high and dry, bowed casually before taking off in the opposite direction. I could only raise my hand up to my face and shook my head in disbelief in response.

"Those guys?" Scathach said before she looked back at me. "I've never noticed them here up until today." Scathach said.

"Up until today, or right now?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Up until today, I knew they were watching. However I didn't really think anything of it." Scathach replied.

"So you noticed me when I came in?" I asked.

"Yes." Scathach replied.

"So that means you knew that I was standing behind the punching bag?" I asked.

"Correct." Scathach replied.

"And yet you punched it anyway?" I stated.

"Yes." Scathach replied casually.

"Geez…." I murmured shaking my head in disbelief. "You could have hurt me you know!" I exclaimed.

"What was I to do? Just stop working out, because you were here?" Scathach inquired. I get the feeling that wasn't the only reason why she had gone ahead and punched the bag, but I digress. "The world does not stop spinning just because you are here, Christopher. Unlike your girlfriend, I have a life outside of you." Scathach said and I let out a heavy sigh.

"Could you stop calling her my girlfriend, seriously? You're gonna start unwarranted rumors if you keep at it." I said. It almost sounded like she was jealous, almost. However I knew better than to say that to her, least I want to leave this place alive.

"Oh I'm sorry." Scathach said as she placed her hand on her chest. "But what else am I too believe when you two are constantly all over each other." Scathach said mockingly.

"Geez, I should have just stayed in bed…" I murmured as I raised my hand back up to my face and rubbed my eyes.

"Perhaps you should have." Scathach said as she turned her back to me and made her way over towards the benches with me in toe. "The gym is no place for the likes of you after all." Scathach added casually over shoulder.

"I do work out believe it or not." I said and Scathach came to a stop and swung around facing me.

"Really now?" Scathach inquired. "I'm afraid lifting a firearm does not count as much of a workout Christopher." Scathach mocked with a smug look on her face.

"You know it actually takes some amount of arm strength to maintain a steady aim with a firearm, so I do actually have to work out to maintain my muscle mass." I stated and Scathach rolled her eyes at me. "I also happen to jog when I take Shadow for walks, you know." I added.

"Well you certainly are good at running away from danger." Scathach said and I grunted in response.

"And for one who claims to be as strong as she says she is, you do constantly flee from battles like you did in the face of Fafnir." I said and Scathach narrowed her eyes from me.

"I don't run away from battles, but I don't fight battles I know I can't win or would be a waste of energy." Scathach retorted and it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"If you say so, but some might not look at it that way." I replied.

"I do not care for what others think, my only concern is keeping you and I alive so we can correct these singularities and then I can go back to my normal life away from you." Scathach stated and I grunted once more. "Now if you're as nearly as strong as you pretend to be, why don't you spot me while I lift weights." Scathach said as she lifted a fifty pound weight and handed it to me.

"As long as you're not lifting the entire bench, sure." I said jokingly as I took the weight from her and slid it onto my side of the bar. As I finished putting the weight on, I saw a twenty five pound weight held out in front of me. I looked on the other side of the barbell and saw Scathach had placed ninety five pounds on the other side. "I hope you're not plotting on breaking my back." I said redirecting my attention at Scathach.

"If a meager one hundred and ninety pounds is too much for you, you can go back to your room. I won't tell anyone that you cowered out." Scathach said with a wry smile.

"Shut up and give that to me." I said as I took the plate and put it on the other end. Scathach handed me two ten pound weights and I slid them on as well before fastening them all into place. With the weights in place Scathach laid back on the bench and I made my way over behind the bench standing over her. I looked down at Scathach who was looking back up at me.

"Are you sure you'll be able to handle it?" Scathach said in a mocking tone. "If you drop it on me, I'll kill you." Scathach added.

"Oh trust me, I wouldn't dream of it." I replied sarcastically. Scathach reached out and grasped the barbell and I turn I placed one hand under and one hand over the barbell with my hip close to the barbell. From there I proceeded to lift the barbell off the rack and guided it out over her chest. Once I let go of the barbell I took a step back, Scathach began to bench press the bar. I watched on amusingly as Scathach continued her reps, and even though all I did was watch her with an amused grin, she had an annoyed expression on her face. However she couldn't do anything but continue her reps, while I was left to wonder if she regretted asking me to spot her...

"I'm glad you could draw amusement out of something as simple as a workout." Scathach said as we walked out of the gym after she had finished the rest of her workout and we were now on our way back to our room.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're referring to Scathach." I said with an amused grin. That was obviously a lie, I had been wearing a stupid grin on my face throughout the entire time of her workout. It hadn't initially been intentional, but the more I saw how annoyed she got as I watched her, the more I couldn't help but smile.

"Sure, even now you have that stupid grin plastered across your face." Scathach said as she gripped the towel around her neck tightly. "And could you say my name any louder, as if almost letting the entire gym hear my name back there wasn't enough." Scathach pointed out.

"Was that the real reason why you punched me back there?" I asked glaring at her out of the corner of my eye.

"Mmm one of the reasons." Scathach replied with an amused grin on her lips. I could only let out a scoff in my reply.

"Right, well sorry." I apologized as I threw my hands behind my head. "I'm just so used to saying your name since nobody is ever around when we talk." I added.

"Yeah well we're back in Chaldea now, so use my class name from now on outside of our room." Scathach said reaching behind her head. "At least you didn't kill me back there, I was sure you'd drop that barbell on me." Scathach added as pulled the elastic hairband out of her hair, undoing her ponytail and letting her hair loose. I admit that it had been a bit odd seeing her with a ponytail, but an interesting type of oddity to say the least.

"Ah well I figured the paperwork wouldn't be worth it." I replied glancing to my side once more. "Imagine the embarrassment I'd face when I had to tell the Director you died by getting barbell on top of you." I said chuckling.

"Imagine your embarrassment when I break a steel rod over your head for everyone in the gym to see." Scathach replied as she glanced at me. I could already imagine it playing out in my head; it had probably played out multiple times in Scathach's head already.

"I'd probably just die." I stated meeting her glance. Scathach returned her glance forward and before I could add anything to my statement, Scathach stopped walking and I felt her hand on my chest causing me to come to a stop...

* * *

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	20. Chapter Twenty A Special Arrival

**Chapter Twenty**

**A Special Arrival**

* * *

I looked forward where Scathach's gaze laid and saw a crowd had gathered near the sliding doors that lead out to the Helipads. "Huh, what's going on here?" I inquired as I slid my hands into my pockets. The crowd was made up of members from all the departments, I made out the lab coats of several members of the science department and I recognized the backs of several people from the security department. Whatever was going on, it had piqued the interest of everybody it would seem.

"Seems like some sort of commotion." Scathach replied.

"They're gathered outside the Helipads. I wonder if someone crashed another VTOL in the courtyard." I said jokingly, Scathach glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.

"If their piloting skills are anything like yours, than I have no doubt." Scathach replied. "But for everyone's sake, let's hope not all of Chaldea's pilots are as bad as you." Scathach added before walking off towards the group.

"Hey! I didn't see you taking control, dodge multiple missiles fired at us, and manage to put us down on the ground without dying, despite all of that!" I retorted as I followed behind her. "You could at least be a little bit grateful." I grumbled.

In a few short moments Scathach and I arrived at the crowd where we came to a stop near the edge. Scathach seemingly paid me no mind as I hovered over her, as her attention was elsewhere in the crowd.

"Were you even listening to me, at all?" I asked.

"Nope." Scathach replied as she kept her back to me.

"I swear woman…" I murmured shaking my head in response. After grumbling to myself for the better part of a minute I peered over Scathach's head to try and see what all the commotion was about. There was a lot of chatter going on, but I couldn't make out most of it. "What do you think is going on?" I asked.

"I don't know." Scathach replied and I looked down at her.

"You don't know or you can't see?" I asked with a slight grin. "If you like I can…" I added, but before I could finish my sentence a sharp pain shot through my foot.

"If I needed a step stool you'd be the first to know about it." Scathach said as her heel pressed down on my foot. "I can see just fine, but when there's nothing happening I can only speculate." Scathach said as her heel dug deeper into my foot and I gritted my teeth.

""Okay, Okay!" I exclaimed. "I'm sorry, now please could you get off my foot." I said and she seemed to wait a moment before she decided to take her foot off. "Thank you…" I said taking a step back. As I did I reached down and rubbed my foot attentively. After the pain had subsided from my foot, I stood back up and turned my attention back to the crowd. I took a step forward, this time not standing behind Scathach, and proceeded to peer over the crowd. On the other side of the crowd I saw several men dressed in full winter camouflage wearing body armor and helmets, each one of them carrying either an automatic rifle or shotgun. "There's several men with guns." I said as I fell back on my heels.

"I saw." Scathach replied.

"You failed to mention that, when I asked you what's going on." I pointed out.

"There are armed guards everywhere, we're at Chaldea." Scathach replied.

"I know that you idiot, but they're the ones blocking the crowd!" I exclaimed as I looked to my side and faced Scathach.

"I can see that much, but I don't know why they're blocking the hall." Scathach said leaving me to grumble in response. I scratched my head in frustration and proceeded to look around the crowd until I spotted the back of someone I had seen only minutes ago.

"Hey Adam!" I exclaimed as I reached into the crowd and grasped his shoulder, spinning him around. Adam's was surprised at first, but when he realized it was me his expression turned to one of amusement at seeing me.

"Oh it's you Commander…" Adam said before he looked over to my side to see Scathach standing beside me. "And Ms. Lancer I see you're with the Commander as well." Adam added with a bow of his head.

"Hey eyes over here wise guy." I said as I flicked Adam in the side of the head.

"Owe! You're gonna cause me some serious brain damage!" Adam exclaimed jokingly as he raised his hand up to the spot where I had flicked him as he turned and faced me.

"I can't cause you any brain damage, because you'd actually have to have something up there to begin with." I replied jokingly in return.

"Oof, see what physical and verbal violence I have to endure from my superiors while working here?" Adam said turning to face Scathach. Oh the irony of saying that to Scathach, if he knew what violence I had to endure from her, he wouldn't be saying that at all. Scathach didn't respond and kept her gaze fixed forward. "I should ask for a raise or file an ethics complaint." Adams said looking back at me.

"You don't even work under me anymore, so go ahead. I'm sure our human resources department will take it under advisement." I replied with an amused expression. "Now what's going on here?" I said motioning my head towards the crowd.

"Oh you mean the crowd?" Adam said looking over his shoulder and then back at me. "I don't rightly know. A bunch of our guys are blocking the path to the science wing, and I managed to catch a glance outside where I saw that there's a bunch more lining the Helipads." Adam explained and I cupped my chin. "Looks like they're getting ready for someone's arrival, maybe some Clock tower Lord or something." Adam added.

"Huh." I murmured. "Well what about you? You're not a scientist, so why are you heading that way?" I inquired.

"Hmm?" Adam mused innocently. "Oh I was just talking to one of the girls from the science department who happened to also be working out." Adam replied and I narrowed my eyes.

"Uh huh, is that so?" I murmured rubbing my chin. "Escorting a fair lady back to her lab, what a gentleman." I said.

"Ah well, you know me. Your typical knight in shining armor." Adam said with a smirk as he jerked his thumb back at himself.

"Sure you are." I replied. "What about everyone else though? There are multiple ways to get to the science department, not just this one way." I inquired and Adam looked back over his arm.

"I imagine a lot of them were on their way to the science wing, but with the amount of security gathered here, it piqued their interest." Adam replied. "It's not everyday something interesting happens here." Adam added. You could have fooled me, with crash landings a month ago and bombs going off years ago. You'd think people would be weary of any excitement.

"The Director's likely to get mad if she catches so many people slacking off." I stated.

"The Directors always liable to get mad, just ask Doctor Roman." Adam replied and we both chuckled at the expense of Roman's misfortune with the Director…

Just as we were laughing over the Directors abuse of Roman we felt a cool breeze wash over the top of our heads. Our attention snapped towards the doors where we saw the sliding doors close shut, and the crowd fell into silence soon afterwards.

"Looks like our esteemed guest has arrived." Adam said, glancing at me before he disappeared into the crowd to try and have a look. I furrowed my eyebrows a little in response as I followed Adam into the crowd to get a closer look as well. I wondered who it was that would require this much security, but as I peered over the tops of the crowd I soon found out the answer.

"Is that who I think it is?"

"Why is she in handcuffs?"

"Is that, no way…"

"Even in handcuffs she still looks beautiful!"

"You idiot, aren't you more concerned about the fact that she's in handcuffs."

"Who is that?"

"Dude, how can you not know who she is? She's only one of the hottest females in all of Chaldea!" A male colleague of his whispered quietly into his ear. There's was more silent chatter that went on in the background as everyone whispered excitedly amongst themselves until a female colleague of mine finally exclaimed what was on everyone's minds.

"That's Amara Iselma!"

Sure enough, there was Amara standing on the other side of the crowd with her hands behind her back in cuffs. Amara was wearing a pair of black knee high boots over a pair of winter camouflage pants with a matching colored dress uniform that went over her pants and stopped at a little past her thighs, her uniform wore the Chaldea symbol over her right breast while her collar proudly displayed the Chaldea pin and a pair of General stars. She wore a white cloak over her shoulders that went down to her knees and it bore an enlarged image of Chaldea's emblem in black.

Amara's long blonde hair went down a little past her lower back, and she wore an eyepatch over one of her diamond colored eyes. Two guards flanked Amara with one of them grasping her shoulder firmly to make sure she didn't try and run off.

"Well I'll be damned." I said as I took a step back.

"It would appear as if the Director made her decision a while back without informing you." Scathach murmured. I looked off to my side to see Scathach with her eyes closed and her arms across her chest.

"Oh well, Olga's the boss so she does what she wants." I said with a shrug. "What matters is that she caught Amara and we can finally get some answers." I added.

"Sure, we'll see." Scathach said as she cupped her chin. "But I am a bit curious about what happened to her left eye?" Scathach inquired as she opened her eyes and looked at me.

"Oh that?" I said as I glanced back at Amara for a moment. "I only know what I've heard, and I heard that she lost sight in her left eye during a battle with a leader of some terrorist group made out of magi, I don't really know any of the details outside of that or if it's true or not." I replied as I turned my gaze back to Scathach.

"I was expecting a more interesting story." Scathach said, seeming to furrow her eyebrows a little in disappointment.

"Well not everything has an interesting story behind it." I replied. "Some people lose fingers to machinery at their jobs, not because of some epic battle." I added.

"I know that idiot." Scathach retorted. "I just expected more from the woman who was so widely praised amongst the staff at Chaldea, and the one who ended up betraying them just so she could get her hands on the Holy Grail." Scathach explained.

"Are you not impressed with her?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's not quite what I meant." Scathach said. "She comes off as composed and collected individual, even now as she's in handcuffs before her fellow co-workers I can't make out any signs of embarrassment or discomfort." Scathach explained. "It's a bit hard to tell, but I can tell from her figure that she's rather toned. She could probably beat some of her own guards if she wasn't handcuffed." Scathach pointed out. "And despite the eyepatch she still maintains the image of beauty, but I can make out a few small yet visible scars that show she's a bit rough around the edges." Scathach went on. "As for mana or magical abilities, I would say that she's about on par with Rin Tohsaka." Scathach stated. "But despite all of that, she doesn't strike me as all that impressive." Scathach said closing her eyes in frustration it seemed.

"Well I doubt many if not anybody can meet the high standards you have of people Lancer." I replied with a smirk, and before Scathach could say anything in response she was cut off…

"EVERYONE GET OUT OF THE WAY!" A voice called out and everyone's head swiveled in the direction the voice had come from. Storming down the hall was none other than the Director herself with several more armed Chaldea Guards, while Andersen trailed behind her.

Olga wore a stern look on her face and her arms were crossed across her chest, while Andersen seemingly maintained a neutral expression. Nobody waited for the Director to repeat herself, and the crowd parted ways allowing a corridor for our boss to reach Amara. Olga passed Scathach and I by without so much as glancing at us, going straight for Amara. While I saw Andersen glance at me from the corner of his eye before returning his gaze forward. Once the Director and her guards had made their way through the corridor, the crowd closed the gap and now watched as the two women stared face to face. Amara stood an inch taller than the Director, however the two seamlessly locked eyes with one another. Neither one of them said anything to the other for several moments leaving an awkward silence hanging over everything...

"Amara." Olga said.

"Olga." Amara replied.

"I assume your ride back was comfortable?" Olga asked.

"I've had more comfortable rides back home." Amara replied as she glanced to her side at the guard gripping her shoulder.

"You should be grateful I let you come back as comfortable as you did, after everything you've done." Olga stated as she narrowed her eyes.

"Ah yes pardon my manners." Amara said with a subtle grin. "I'm eternally grateful to you for allowing me to come back alive, when hundreds of my men lay dead in the snow." Amara said with a bow of her head, which caused some murmurs to break out amongst the crowd. "Thank you so very much."

"Don't play innocent Amara. You know very well what you did." Olga said. "Otherwise why would you flee if you weren't guilty?" Olga inquired with gesture of her hand.

"Perhaps because I knew I wouldn't receive a fair trial." Amara replied. "Still I'd have rather come back home in a body bag, then to have to face you again." Amara retorted.

"You were one of my closest friends! I trusted you!" Olga exclaimed.

"As were you." Amara replied.

"Yet you betrayed me and everything our organization has worked to preserve! Even going so far as to kill your own friends and co-workers to achieve your goals!" Olga said grimacing. Amara fell into silence, closing her eyes in response. "Tch, take her to the Security Department and place her in a cell!" Olga ordered.

"Yes Ma'am." The Security Guards responded with a nod of their head. Olga stepped to the side letting the guards escort Amara past her. Seeing Amara coming their way the crowd parted ways without the guards even needing to say anything. The guards escorted Amara through the corridor the crowd had made and I watched as Amara walked past me. The crowd watched as well as she was escorted down the hall, whispering amongst themselves quietly until she disappeared out of sight. Once Amara had disappeared the crowd's attention snapped to Olga who had stood on the other side of the crowd with her arms crossed watching Amara disappear. Seeing so many eyes on her, her facial expression brought upon a sudden change, small creases started to form on her brow as the air around her became filled with tension. The writhing anger was so blatantly obvious, no one couldn't tell how she felt right now.

"What are you all doing still standing here? Get back to work!" Olga exclaimed with a wave of her arms. Hearing the boss yell at us was enough for the crowd to disperse and head back to their respective departments, yet the murmurs of what had just happened could still be heard.

I watched as my co-workers disappeared until I soon realized the only ones left standing in the hallway were Scathach, the Director, Andersen, a few security guards, and myself. I turned my attention to the Director whose gaze was still fixated in the direction Amara had gone. Seeing as everyone was gone now and the Director had cooled off a little bit, I took this opportunity to clear my throat and speak up.

"Ahem Director if I may…" I said. Olga glanced at me from the corner of her eye, she still looked angry from earlier actually. Perhaps this hadn't been such a great idea after all and I should have dispersed with the rest of the crowd. It was too late now however...

"Eh what are you still doing standing around here Christopher?" Olga stated with a raised eyebrow. I had thought the Director hadn't seen me, but perhaps I had been wrong about that too.

"I'd like to speak with you for a moment, if that's okay Director." I said taking a step forward to address the Director.

"Yes, what is it?" Olga inquired.

"Well I wanted to inquire about Amara, seeing as how you brought her in." I said. "You didn't mention anything about it to me." I said and the Director narrowed her eyes at me.

"So?" Olga replied.

"Well Director it's just that you said you'd inform me when you came to a final decision." I stated.

"I didn't tell anyone about my final decision. Not even Andersen, he learned about it only a few minutes ago." Olga said motioning to Andersen who nodded his head. "I said I would inform you of my decision, which just so happens to be as of now." Olga said as she turned her body to face me.

"Oh well, I just thought that perhaps you would have sent Lancer and myself to go retrieve her when you came to your final decision." I inquired.

"No, I sent another Operative I trust to go and retrieve her." Olga replied. "Besides I think you've had your fair share of near death experiences over these past few months." Olga added which caused me to grumble in response.

"Another Operative you say?" I inquired with a raised brow. "And what's this I heard Amara mention something about how hundreds of her men were killed." I asked.

"Yes, I sent some of our most qualified operatives to handle the delicate situation of bringing her in." Olga replied. "Amara had a battalion of men with her out in some abandoned airfield in the wilds of Finland." Olga explained. "While it's impossible to ever know how many died or escaped out there, from the report it's estimated nearly three to four hundred men were killed by the operatives." Olga said. My eyes widened a little bit in disbelief at the staggering number. Jesus, three to four hundred men dead just like that, and the Director doesn't even blink.

"That's a little harsh wouldn't you say Director?" I inquired.

"No not really, Amara and her men were traitors to the Organization." Olga replied. "While more than likely Amara and the officers were the only ones fully aware of what was going on, the evidence suggests that most of the men serving under her were complicit in her thefts and murders." Olga said. "Either way it's impossible to discern who knew and who didn't know, but the Operatives sent were given orders to kill anyone who got in the way of their objective. So there was room for people to surrender." Olga explained and I was left rubbing my neck in discomfort.

"I doubt that people will look at it that way Director." I said with a sigh. "They're gonna see that their boss killed three, four hundred people and wonder if the same thing could happen to them." I explained to the Director who tapped her finger against her shoulder.

"Amara killed a few dozen employees three years ago, and more throughout the years. Her and her men betrayed Chaldea and they paid the price in blood, she should be lucky she's even alive." Olga stated. "And besides I don't just kill employees at random, we have rules and regulations we have to follow. So leave those worries up to Human resources, Christopher." Olga added. I still doubt that anyone would look at it that way, but arguing with the Director about it was pointless.

"Very well Director." I said sighing in defeat.

"Now was there anything else you wanted to discuss?" Olga asked as she turned about to head off, and my head shot up in response.

"Um yes, actually!" I exclaimed. "Ahem Director, I was curious about something else. Now that Amara is in Chaldea's custody, I was wondering how soon before we can begin questioning her?" I inquired as I straightened out and cleared my throat. Olga crossed her arms in response and closed her eyes as she seemed to think for a moment.

"Yes I was wondering the same thing Director; I have many questions I'd like to ask her." Andersen said echoing my sentiments. Olga tilted her body to face Andersen and opened one of her eyes looking at him skeptically.

"If possible Director, I'd like to conduct the interview myself." I stated as I placed a hand on my chest. Yes, I'd been holding back on asking the Director this for a month now. I had all these burning questions building up inside me over the past year that I wanted to know the answers too. Like why did she do it? I think that question was at the forefront of all of our minds though.

"Hmm." Olga murmured as she closed her eyes and turned to face me. "I know you're the one who uncovered the evidence from Lev and turned Amara in, but I'll have to think on who I'll have question her." Olga replied. "For now I think I'll just let her rot inside her cell, maybe her time in solitude might eat away at her." Olga said.

"Y-Yes Director. I'll wait for your decision then." I said taking a step back as I placed my hands behind my back.

"Of course Director, I'll await your final word." Andersen said with a nod of our head.

"Don't worry you two, you'll have your chance to question her. But we just brought her in, so for now just have a little patience." Olga said, Andersen and I both nodded our heads in understanding. "Now then Operative, might I inquire why you're here and not working?" Olga said as she opened one of her eyes and looked at me.

"Oh um well…" I murmured. "Well I uh just thought that you wanted me on standby since you didn't really tell me what I should be doing…." I said.

"You're still a full time employee of Chaldea Security Organization." Olga said, wagging her finger at me. "With the exception of the week that you were injured, you're expected to work on assignments given out by me or under Andersen. I don't pay you to laze around. What exactly have you been doing this past month?" Olga eyed me suspiciously. Behind me I could hear someone doing her best to avoid cracking up, but was failing miserably.

"Um well uh you see I was ummmm…." I managed to sputter out before my mind started to draw blanks and I closed my mouth blinking rapidly with a dumbfounded expression. Olga narrowed her eyes at me, seemingly just as impressed as I was by what I had sputtered out.

"So you were doing nothing? Nothing this entire month?!" Olga sneered. "I was starting to wonder why I hadn't received my reports. You have a months worth of assignments waiting for you on your computer. Starting tomorrow I expect you to report to Andersen for your regular duties." Olga ordered.

"Understood Ma'am." I said nodding my head.

"I'll also be docking you a month's pay." Olga said. I opened my mouth, but bit down on my tongue before anything stupid left my mouth and hung my head in shame.

"Y-Yes Ma'am." I said. Behind me Scathach had broken down into a full on snickering fit as she had gained great amusement from my embarrassment.

"Unless you have anymore questions I suggest you get back to work. You have a lot of work to catch up on." Olga said and my silence was an affirmative that I had no more questions. "You're dismissed Operative." Olga said and I begrudgingly nodded my head.

"Yes Ma'am." I said. I casted a glance at Andersen who nodded his head at me in goodbye. Turning my back to Olga I saw Scathach who was still cracking up, clearly enjoying herself. "Come on, let's get going." I said as I grasped her by her shoulder and pushed her forward. Scathach didn't say anything in response, but instead kept on laughing as she wiped a tear from her eye. I'm guessing since she didn't put up any resistance that she wasn't objecting or perhaps she was so caught up in laughing fit she didn't notice. Either way, I guided Scathach along down the hall as we headed off in the opposite direction of the Director leaving her behind with Andersen…

The entirety of the time spent walking back towards the Security department had been spent filled with laughter. Scathach hadn't stopped laughing the entire time, even now she was still wheezing as she cried tears of joy from my misery. All I could do was grin and bear it as I dug my hands into my pockets. Eventually though it was becoming too much even for me, as people passed us by they gave us odd stares.

"Are you about done?" I scowled at her after receiving enough stares.

"Ahahahaha…. Just about…." Scathach replied as she wiped a tear from her eye. "...Ahaha… Sorry, but that's the most I've laughed in a long time. That was just too funny." Scathach said with a smug look and matching smile.

"I'm glad you got such a kick out of that, because I didn't." I scoffed.

"How couldn't I?" Scathach said. "Seeing you get scolded by your boss for lazing around on your ass doing nothing all month, then getting docked a months pay would make anyone laugh." Scathach said.

"I hope you know that means I have less money to buy you things like food." I replied.

"Bah, as if I care. Even if you really couldn't buy food for us, I have money of my own to buy things like food and clothes." Scathach said with a roll of her eyes.

"So I guess Mashu and I will just starve." I replied.

"I have enough money that I could support Mashu and myself." Scathach said. I didn't think Scathach cared about Mashu enough, but maybe she'd support Mashu just to spite me.

"Oh how kind of you, so I guess I'll just starve then." I said.

"Stop complaining will you." Scathach said with a dismissive wave. "I really doubt you live paycheck to paycheck and that is your only source of money." Scathach stated, and before I could give a witty reply I was cut off. "It was you yourself who said "I like to live cheap."" Scathach added.

"Yeah, yeah you caught me." I said with a grumble. "It's true I can very well go months or a year without pay, even then I still don't like not getting paid." I explained.

"Well why should you get paid? You did nothing but laze around all month." Scathach replied.

"It's not my fault; I didn't know what Olga wanted me to do!" I exclaimed. "I handed her my findings, and when it was all said and over with she sent me on my way and told me she would talk to me when she made up her mind about Amara. That's the last I spoke to her!" I said.

"Maybe you should have followed up with her or shot her an email instead of sitting on your thumbs all day." Scathach replied. This caused me to grumble in response, because she was more than likely right.

"Anyway, regardless of my pay status or work." I said. "What's important is that we finally have Amara in our custody!" I exclaimed with a jolt of my fist in excitement.

"Yeah, but it seems the Olga made up her mind without telling you about it." Scathach pointed out.

"It's unfortunate, but understandable." I said. "She's the boss and she makes all the decisions, she doesn't need my permission or anyone else's. We just follow her orders." I said.

"It might be just me, but the Director seemed more on edge and hostile." Scathach said and I cusped my chin in response. "I don't think she trust many people right now, if any at all." Scathach added.

"Well that too is understandable, her best friend betrayed her and killed her other best friend." I said looking forward.

"Did you listen to the conversation between her and Amara?" Scathach inquired and my mind wandered back to a few minutes ago.

"Yeah it was rather bitter." I replied.

"It's as if they were cutting at each other with daggers." Scathach said. "I couldn't tell if they really hated each or not, but they were definitely spiteful to one another." Scathach added as she cupped her chin.

"Makes sense, since like I said Amara betrayed her so she has reason to be bitter." I said. "I think a lot of us were just surprised that she didn't vent her rage at her." I added.

"I don't think she would have even if she had wanted too. It wouldn't have looked proper in front of her employees." Scathach said.

"It wasn't proper to kill three to four hundred of your former employees." I pointed out.

"You didn't share that sentiment back in Orleans." Scathach replied. For a second I had to think about what she was talking about, but eventually it hit me.

"That was ... Different okay." I said. "I mean I'm just as furious as anyone that they betrayed the organization, but we have due process and justice systems now. When we just go slaughtering people without a trial…" I said pausing for a moment as I felt my hand tightened into a fist. "Well it makes everything I said to Alter Jeanne meaningless." I said.

"Hmmmm…" Scathach murmured. "Regardless, I'm more interested in who these operatives were that managed to kill three to four hundred men single handedly." Scathach said as she rubbed her chin.

"I'm curious about that too." I said as I scratched my cheek.

"Do you not have any ideas?" Scathach inquired as I saw her glance at me out of the corner of my eye.

"Chaldea has a security force of over one thousand men and women, so I can't possibly know everybody." I replied. "The Director said he, so it was a guy. That's not very much to go on since there are hundreds of guys here." I added.

"I suppose so…" Scathach murmured. "Still they have to have been a highly skilled individual if they were able to infiltrate a base filled with hundreds of armed guards, killing three to four hundred of them, and then extract Amara without too much difficulty." Scathach said.

"Yeah I suppose you would say they have to be extremely skilled." I said. I wasn't even sure how I would have gone about extracting Amara given that situation. I probably would have went in with a small team and extracted Amara in the dead of night. "The Director did say operatives, with an emphasis on the s. So that must have meant there was more than one." I said remembering back.

"Yes I noticed." Scathach mused. "Well whoever they are, they sound interesting and I'd like to meet them perhaps one day." Scathach said.

"Who knows? Maybe one day you'll get the chance." I said. "For now I'm more interested in sitting down and speaking with Amara, I want to know what drove her to do what she did." I said looking forward once more determined.

"You don't think she did it out of revenge or because of a desire to reach the root?" Scathach asked with a raised brow.

"Well the more I think about it, the proposed motives just don't make any sense for someone like Amara." I said. "I don't know her all that well like I've said, but she just doesn't come off as a psychopath hell-bent on destroying the world." I said.

"Well most serial killers don't come off as serial killers until they're stabbing you in the shower." Scathach said, albeit said so sarcastically.

"That's true I suppose." I said.

"But if what you believe is to be the case, what can you tell me about Amara to suggest so?" Scathach asked.

"Ahem, well contrary to you and the Directors belief I was not actually just sitting on my ass all month." I said clearing my throat as I looked at her. "I actually spent a large deal of time looking more into Amara and interviewing people here on base who knew her." I explained.

"Is that so?" Scathach said.

"It is so!" I exclaimed, still a little angry about her previous comments. "Now I am not saying that she didn't do it, because the evidence clearly lays out that she did. I'm just questioning the motive." I explained.

"I never said anything to suggest otherwise." Scathach stated.

"Uh huh." I said, not quite believing her. "But anyway, I talked to several people who knew her and they all seem to paint a similar picture: She is a very mellow individual who's friendly to most people, many of the women I talked to said they went to her whenever they had a personal problem. The people who worked under her said before she was very strict with her command, but she was always looking out for the men and women under her command." I explained my findings. Most of what I already knew myself, but with renewed confirmation. "She was a bit like a Mother figure here at Chaldea, even if she has no children of her own. Which makes sense since you'd find no compassion or love from Olga." I added.

"Well, as I said before, most people won't know someone's true nature until it's far too late." Scathach said.

"If that's really the case then she's managed to keep a lot of people fooled for fifteen long years." I said scratching my head. "Anyway, Amara is the eldest sister of three in her family, and as you know she was removed as heir to the Family when she joined Chaldea." I explained. "Her second eldest sister is set to be heir to the family. Now you'd think the two wouldn't get along since Amara lost her title to her sister, but from their text messages they seem to have a warm friendly relationship with each other. In fact the only person Amara doesn't get along with in her family is her Father, but she gets along with her Mother and sisters." I explained.

"So she's a girl with daddy issues." Scathach said.

"That's uh one way of putting it I guess." I said scratching my cheek. "It's true she had problems with her father, but other than that she was an over protective caring older sister from what I could tell. She messaged her mother regularly and seemed to care for her; she was more obedient when it came to her Mother." I explained. "So I don't see how she could want to destroy humanity if she loved her Mother and sisters." I said.

"That still doesn't rule out the possibility of revenge against her father for removing her as heir to the family." Scathach stated.

"But if that was the case, then why would she not use the grail to wish for that instead?" I inquired. "That would make far more sense than going back in time and distorting history to lead to our own destruction." I stated.

"It could be that Earth or time itself was never meant to have Amara as the heir to her family." Scathach replied. "Perhaps her attempt to become heir to the family caused some sort of blowback in our timeline, so Earth is trying to correct things or something." Scathach said.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know what to believe at this point, I've seen too many things over my lifetime." Scathach replied. "At this point I'm just trying to make some sort of sense out of this whole situation." Scathach said.

"So am I, but that wouldn't make any sense for time or Earth to destroy itself in the process of correcting itself." I said. "Also if Amara had gone back and made it so she did become heir to the Family, wouldn't she be the heir to her family in our timeline and if so we wouldn't be talking about this possibility." I said. "But as it stands, we know that is not the case. She is not the heir to her family." I pointed out.

"That is true, but perhaps her attempt failed and in the process she did something that could have set off some sort of reaction." Scathach said.

"Maybe, but if so then what did she do to cause such a chain reaction?" I asked.

"Who knows, there are multiple things she could have done to set off a reaction." Scathach replied. "Perhaps in her scheme to seize the grail she killed someone she shouldn't have, or perhaps because she stole the grail that itself distorted the timeline." Scathach said. "These are all of course just theories." Scathach added.

"Right…" I murmured as I reflected on what she had said.

"We won't know until we ask her." Scathach said. "Which you'll get your chance to have your questions answered soon enough; you'll just have to wait a little while." Scathach pointed out. She was right, now that Amara was here at Chaldea all I had to do was wait for Olga to give the go ahead.

"Yeah…" I murmured.

Just before Scathach was about to say something she was drowned out by the sound of multiple cackles echo throughout the hall before everything fell into silence. Scathach and I both snapped our attention forward where the sounds resonated from. Our bodies were stiff in suspense, our eyes were wide open and alert.

"What was that?" Scathach exclaimed.

"Those sounded like gunshots!" I replied as I tightened my hand into a fist.

"Could it have come from the shooting range?" Scathach asked looking at me.

"Not likely." I replied. "The shooting range is sound proof so not to cause disturbances amongst the staff."

"If not from the shooting range, then what other explanation is there?" Scathach asked looking at me.

"I don't know. Someone could have accidentally discharged their firearm." I said, that was the only explanation I wanted to think of at the moment.

"It sounded like it came from further down the hall." Scathach said.

"The Security Department is down this hall." I said. Since we had already been heading in that direction so I could get started on the work that awaited me from Olga.

"Well let's get going, we won't find out what's going on by just standing here." Scathach said as she rushed on ahead gesturing me to follow her. There was something eating away at the back of my mind warning me of danger, but I hoped deep down that this was just an accidental discharge and not what I thought it was.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." I murmured as I chased her down the hallway...

* * *

**Sorry for the delay, I had some computer problems earlier this week so things didn't go as planned. Thank you for reading as always and for your continued support! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider leaving a favorite/like and be sure to follow Book III to keep up to date when the next chapter comes out. Or better yet hop onto the official Fated Destiny Discord so you can be notified when the latest chapter comes out along with being informed of any delays in advanced. Feel free to leave constructive feedback and reviews in the comments below or tell me what you think I need to improve on. Just a reminder that new chapters of Book Three release every two weeks on Friday or Saturday. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to seeing you next time.**

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	21. Chapter Twenty One Misfortune

**Chapter Twenty One**

**Misfortune**

* * *

As we grew closer to the Security department Scathach and I slowed down as we approached the end of corridor leading into the main office. Creeping forward we reached the edge of the corridor where we peered around the corner; it was there that we discovered that the offices were completely deserted at the moment. There wasn't a single soul to be found at their desk, it was almost like a scene out of a horror movie, with the exception that all the lights were still on. That and I had Scathach with me, so not quite as spooky.

"There's nobody here." Scathach murmured over my shoulder.

"Yeah, I can see that." I said looking over my shoulder at her. Scathach met my gaze with a blank expression as per usual.

"I was just saying in case you hadn't noticed." Scathach replied and I rolled my eyes before facing forward.

"Well I did notice. I'm just being careful." I said with a dismissive wave of my hand. "It's not all that surprising considering most of them are either on duty right now or are watching over Amara." I said trying to make sense of things. "And Andersen is currently with the Director." I added.

"I know that much." Scathach said and I felt her gaze burning into my skull. "But given we just heard a gunshot a few moments ago, I'm concerned there is no one here."

"Well we assume they're gunshots, we're not certain." I said.

"I'm certain those were gunshots." Scathach said.

"Are you certain?" I asked gripping the edge tightly.

"Yes, I'm positive that they were. I don't know why you're second guessing yourself right now." Scathach replied. "My hearing is better than yours after all." Scathach added, not as if I already didn't know. She was right though, I was second guessing myself. Not that I was trying to do it on purpose, but I really had been holding out hope that it hadn't been the case.

"Yeah okay, you're right. Those were gunshots." I grumbled.

"Well of course I am! You originally said they were gunshots to begin with." Scathach said. "The question is; what are we going to do about it? I'm not sensing anyone currently in the main offices, nor do I smell any gunpowder residue." Scathach stated.

"So if the gunshots didn't occur in the main office, they must have come from elsewhere." I said.

"Where else is there?" Scathach asked.

"Well…." I murmured as I scanned the room. There were four different corridors that lead into the Security department, and we were standing in one of them. "Well if we were to round the corner whilst hugging the wall we'd find a corridor that leads back in the direction we came." I said.

"Well we don't want to go back the way we came. The gunshots came from up ahead, not behind us." Scathach said.

"Yeah I know, so that just leaves the other two corridors." I said as my gaze shifted towards the corridor tucked in the corner on the opposite side of the room. "The corridor nestled in the corner just leads to a few private offices and meeting rooms." I said as I slowly turned my attention forward once more. "... And the corridor across from us leads to the holding cells." I murmured.

"Isn't that where Amara is being held?" Scathach asked.

"Yeah…" I replied.

"Is that why you were second guessing yourself?" Scathach asked. "Because you thought it came from where Amara is being held?"

"More or less…" I grumbled.

"If those gunshots really did come from the holding cells, than all the more reason for us to hurry up before Amara escapes." Scathach said as she pushed past me and rushed towards the holding cells.

"H-Hey! Hold on!" I exclaimed as I reached out to grab Scathach, but she was already halfway across the office. I was left with little choice but to begrudgingly chase after her…

"H-Hold up Lancer." I said as I finally caught up to Scathach as she was approaching the entrance to the holding cells. I placed my hand on her shoulder stopping her before she ran into the holdings cells. "Just hold up a second Lancer, let me go first." I said.

"I thought we agreed that you'd leave danger up to me." Scathach said as she looked back at me and narrowed her eyebrows.

"I don't recall agreeing to anything like that outside of Singularities." I said and Scathach placed her hands on her hips. "Please just let me handle this. I wouldn't want you rushing into the holding cells and it turns out it was just an accidental discharge." I said.

"Fine…" Scathach said as she crossed her arms. I nodded my head in thanks before I redirected my attention to the entrance.

"Although the security gates should be closed…" I murmured as I looked over the entrance. The plexiglass security gate was open and nobody was manning the security station, this was already starting to look bad. My fears were confirmed as I peered around the corner to find several Chaldea Security guards laying face down on the ground with crimson stains painting the walls and floor. I ducked my head back behind cover and my hand went to my waist where I lifted my jacket in search of my handgun. I felt around for it for a few moments before I started frantically patting my waist, but I didn't feel any weapon or holster on my waist. I looked down and sure enough there was nothing on my waist except my belt buckle.

"You didn't bring your weapon with you?" Scathach asked with a raised brow.

"Uh No, I left my handgun back in our room…" I said looking back up at Scathach. "But more importantly I count at least three or four of our guys down in the hallway." I said and I saw Scathach grip her shoulders tightly.

"So it's as we feared." Scathach said.

"Looks like it…" I grumbled as I peered around the corner once more. "I'm going to head further inside and investigate." I said.

"Without your gun?" Scathach said with a gesture of her hands.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me." I said waving my hand at her dismissively. "Just watch my back alright!" I said.

"Alright, but don't you think we should sound the alarm over Amara's escape?" Scathach inquired.

"Yeah, yeah, we will. I just wanna check things out first before I sound the alarm." I said waving my hand at her dismissively once more. With that said I rounded the corner and headed inside. Behind me I heard Scathach let out a sigh before I heard her footsteps follow in behind me...

I slowly crept down the hall towards where the bodies of the security guards laid, with Scathach following close behind me. The light above us flickered on and off temporarily shrouding the hall in darkness from time to time as we proceeded forward. As we drew closer I heard a wet splosh come from beneath me and I looked down to see my foot had stepped in a puddle of blood from one of the soldiers. My eyebrows furrowed a little bit at the sight of one of my colleagues lying dead at my feet, before I carried onwards. I proceeded with caution so not to slip on the blood as I stepped over the soldier's body to the other side. Once I had stepped over the body and was on the other side, I spotted an automatic rifle lying on the ground in between the bodies. Actually there were multiple automatic rifles lying on the ground, but I would only need one. Reaching down I grasped the grip of the rifle where I proceeded to lift it up, and upon examination it was a SCAR-17.

I tilted the gun to its side and pulled the bolt back half way as I checked to see if there was a round in the chamber, the gun was indeed loaded. I guess they hadn't planned on taking any chances with Amara, and by the looks of things their actions had been justified.

"At least you're not entirely useless now." Scathach said from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder giving a disgruntled stare.

"Come on and let's just go." I said as I locked the bolt shut and stood up. I shouldered the rifle and turned my attention forward where I took a couple steps forward before having to step over the second corpse in front of me. Behind me I heard Scathach's footsteps follow in behind as we ventured forward. It didn't take long for us to reach the end of the hall before it turned left. Slouched up in the corner was the body of the third security guard, I kneeled down in front of him and rose my fingers up to his neck.

"...He's also dead." I murmured shaking my head as I retracted my fingers to my side.

"It looks like Amara was able to take out more than just a few of her guards." Scathach said and I looked over my shoulder to see what she was talking about. To my horror I found the hallway ahead of us to be littered with more bodies. I jumped to my feet and swung around to face the current situation in front of me, keeping my rifle at the ready. The scene painted in front of me wasn't a pretty picture, there was a guard laying face down by the first holding cell, while another one was slumped up against the control panel of the cell, and down the hall was a final guard laying face down with his back turned to us.

"Looked like they tried to run away. Only for Amara to kill them from behind." Scathach said as she crossed her arms.

"Looks like it…" I murmured as I took a couple steps forward till I was standing beside her. "Its look like she didn't leave anyone alive."

"What I want to know is how she escaped." Scathach mused as she cupped her chin. I stepped forward towards the body laying by the first holding cell with my rifle raised until coming to a stop in front of it.

"If I knew that we wouldn't be standing here scratching our heads." I said as I knelt down and placed my fingertips to the neck of the soldier on the ground. Just like the others before him, this one was also dead. I could only shake my head in response, before I stood up where I found Scathach standing next to me. "If I had to guess, she had a person on the inside who helped her out." I said as I faced her.

"If so, then the Director has good reason to be distrustful of people right now." Scathach pointed out.

"Maybe so…" I murmured raising my rifle and looking forward. I took a step forward before I looked back at her. "Even if she has a good reason to be distrusting of people, she should know that she can trust people like Andersen, Roman, and myself since we've been doing everything to try and stop Amara." I added.

"It could be she thinks that maybe you're working with Amara in secret." Scathach said.

"Please don't say ridiculous stuff like that." I said to her as I approached the holding cell with my rifle raised in front of me. "How could I be helping Amara when I was the one who turned her in…?" I said just before I came out in front of the cell looking inside where I felt my body freeze in place and my eyes widen. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Scathach appear beside me before she too froze in place with her eyes widening at the sight in front of us…

"Tch…" Scathach was the first one to break the silence that had broken out upon seeing the sight in front of us. I still couldn't really believe what my eyes were seeing, it was just so surreal. The picture painted in front of us was a grotesque sight to behold and had been unexpected. Sitting inside the cell was Amara, she was slumped up against the wall on the ground. The wall behind her had been painted red with her blood, and there was a deep gash across her neck. Her white uniform was now dyed in crimson from her chest down to her waist as the blood poured out from her neck. Two trails of blood oozed from her mouth and Amara's one eye pulsated violently as she looked directly at us in fear.

"Amara!" I exclaimed as I rushed inside the cell stopping in front of her where I dropped down, placing my rifle by my side. My hands immediately went up to her neck as I tried to stop the bleeding, and it didn't take long before my gloves became drenched. "Damn it, she's already lost a lot of blood!" I said gritting my teeth and looked over my shoulder. "Lancer go and get Doctor Roman right now! I'll stay here and try to keep pressure on the wound." I exclaimed and Lancer nodded her head in understanding.

"Right, I'll go get the Docto…." I heard Scathach say before I faced Amara, and then she just cut off. I was confused for a second, but that confusion soon dissipated as my ears rang from the sound of metal clashing followed by the pings of metal objects hitting the floor. My attention snapped behind me and I saw Scathach's back as she stood in front of me, in her hand was her red spear held out in front of her. At her feet were several black dirks and my gaze shifted upwards to see a figure draped in black with a white mask.

"An Assassin class servant!" I exclaimed taken aback.

"He used presence concealment to mask himself." Scathach said. "Probably waiting to kill anybody who tried and helped Amara, or perhaps waiting for Amara herself to die." Scathach added. The Assassin class servant dropped down from the ceiling and landed in front of Scathach where it stood there.

"Tch, I think I recall seeing this guy in Fuyuki." I said narrowing my eyes at the Assassin. "Mashu and I beat him along with some Lancer class servant." I added.

"Even if you did, they wouldn't remember you." Scathach said. "It may not even be the same Assassin, as there are nineteen different Assassins that were head of the Hassan Family." Scathach explained.

"Who?" I asked.

"To cut it short, they were an organization of highly skilled people that specialized in assassinations and thefts in the Middle East." Scathach said. "There were 19 heads of the organization, but they were all 19 different people who discarded their identity to become Hassan when they took up the mask." Scathach added.

"I'm surprised you know so much about my organization." Assassin spoke up which surprised both of us I think.

"You could say I'm well read." Scathach said, which may or may not have been a lie. For all I knew perhaps she had run into them in her long life. Either way we were now confronted by one of those nineteen Hassan's who had been the one to kill all those guards and mortally wound Amara. I saw Scathach grip her spear tightly out in front of her while Assassin remained still for a few moments. The two stood motionless for what felt like an eternity, and then Assassin made his move. Assassin flung several dirks towards Scathach; Scathach had been ready for his attack and swung her spear at the dirks. It had all happened so fast that I didn't even have a chance to duck my head and try to protect my vital organs. Either way it hadn't mattered, because the dirks had been deflected by Scathach and now lay on the ground at her feet. Looking past Scathach I saw that Assassin was gone now, it seemed as if his attack had been meant as a diversion so he could escape.

"Christopher you stay here, I'm going after Assassin." Scathach said looking back at me. "We can't allow an enemy Servant to wander Chaldea freely." Scathach added.

"I understand. I'll take care of Amara. You deal with Assassin." I said with a nod of my head. With that said Scathach dashed out of the door and took a sharp left before she sprinted down the hallway after Assassin.

Once Scathach was gone, I snapped my attention back to Amara who was barely hanging in there as is, blood continued to overflow from beneath my gloves and her one eye was fixated on me.

"Damn it, you're not gonna die on me Amara." I said as I applied pressure to her wound. I said that, but at the rate that Amara was losing blood it was only a matter of time before she died unless she got medical attention soon. With Scathach chasing after Assassin, there was no one to get Doctor Roman so that left me all alone with Amara. As much as I abhorred the idea, it seems like I was left with little choice. I looked at Amara whose life was fading before my eyes and I gripped her neck firmly, making sure my hands were over the cut in her neck, before I closed my eyes and concentrated my mind. I felt my magical circuits activate as mana flow through them into my hands and there was a momentary pause as I cast the spell. A bright flash pierced through my eyelids as I cast the spell and a moment later I opened my eyes where I lowered my hands from Amara's neck. The gash in her neck had sealed itself shut along with any damage to her windpipe, although her neck was still caked in blood. Looking at Amara I saw her eye had stopped pulsating and she seemed to be stabilizing a bit. A moment passed before Amara ducked her head down where she proceeded to cough up a puddle of blood in between us.

I scooted back a little to put some space between us and watched as she continued to puke up more blood. It took a minute or two before Amara managed to get a grip on herself and looked up at me as her hand went up to her neck.

"T-Th-Thank you Christopher." Amara managed to sputter out before she coughed up more blood.

"You're welcome, but make no mistake. I didn't do it out of the kindness of my heart." I replied as I rested my hand on my knee.

"I didn't think you did. I doubt I have any friends left in Chaldea or anywhere else for that matter." Amara finally said as she wiped the blood from her mouth. "Not after everything I did." Amara added.

"What the hell's going on Amara? An Assassin class servant just tried to kill you!" I exclaimed.

"I imagine his Boss sent him to clean up loose ends." Amara said as she rested her head against the wall.

"What Boss? What are you talking about Amara?" I exclaimed once more.

"Everything's a whole lot more complicated than you think Christopher." Amara replied. "You really think I'm the ringleader behind all of this?" Amara asked in reply.

"Are you trying to tell me that you didn't do everything that you're accused of doing?" I asked. "We have the evidence and records to prove you did." I said.

"Oh I'm guilty of theft and embezzlement, but I wasn't the Mastermind behind everything." Amara replied. "That honor goes to someone else."

"If not you, then who!?" I exclaimed.

"After things went sour, I knew that I was going to become the fall guy." Amara murmured. "Why else do you think I ran?" Amara said.

"Because you killed innocent people just so you could steal the Holy Grail Amara." I stated.

"No, No, No. I never murdered anyone." Amara said shaking her head. "Stole and embezzled money? Yes. But murdered my fellow co-workers just to achieve my personal goals? No, I never did any of that." Amara said.

"So the bombings that took place three years ago were not your doing?" I asked and Amara once more shook her head.

"That wasn't me." Amara said shaking her head once more. "I was just as surprised as everyone else when it happened." Amara replied.

"What about that guy you sent to kill me so I couldn't hand over the documents to the Director?" I inquired and Amara tilted her head.

"What guy?" Amara asked. "I didn't even know you had uncovered the documents incriminating me until it was far too late." Amara said and I was left scratching my chin unsure whether or not to believe her.

"What about the….." I said before I trailed off and looked down at my bloody palm for a few moments, watching as I tightened it into a fist. "... At the docks on that rainy day years ago, were you...?" I finally managed to ask as I looked up at her staring her straight in the eyes.

"Was I the one who killed her?" Amara asked and I silently nodded my head.

"...No I wasn't the one who killed her." Amara said as she met my gaze. "Her and I were actually good friends, she would sometimes come to me when she wanted to ask for advice. When I learned of her death, I felt like a part of me had died knowing I'd never see her smile again." Amara said as she looked down. "I know that I'm still partly to blame for her death, but it was never my intention to get her killed." Amara added and we were left in silence for a minute.

"...Yeah well, I'm just glad I didn't save a cold blooded murderer." I murmured. "I'll choose to believe you for the time being, but that still leaves the why! Why would you betray your friends and co-workers?!" I exclaimed and Amara took a deep breath of air.

"I assume you're aware of the current situation with my family?" Amara inquired.

"Yeah, you were stripped of your title as heir to the Family head when you joined Chaldea, because I assume the Islema family doesn't consider fighting to be very beautiful." I replied. "But don't tell me the reason you betrayed the organization was so you could get revenge and regain your title?"

"I couldn't…. give a damn about my title…." Amara said before she broke out into a violent coughing fit. I reached out to try and place my hand on her shoulder, but she only dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "... You're more or less right that I lost my title as heir to the family because my Father doesn't consider fighting as part of the Iselma journey to craft the most beautiful person, but I didn't betray the organization to get revenge. I joined Chaldea knowing full well I'd be disqualified as heir to the family." Amara explained as she wiped the blood from her mouth. "You're aware that I have two younger sisters?" Amara asked next.

"Yeah, I know about your sisters." I replied.

"My Father is merciless. He demands perfection from everyone in the family, and if you don't meet those demands than you get punished. He won't beat you or starve you, but you'll get punished in other unpleasant ways." Amara explained. "My Mother can't do anything without fear of being hit or scolded. It's not like she can divorce him either since that would look bad on her family. So Father is free to do with us whatever he wants as he tries to shape us into perfect beings by means of mage craft or other intense studies. Then he expects us to do it to our own children one day." Amara explained. "I finally got so sick and tired of it all. I realized that humans aren't perfect and we never will be, and that's what makes us unique." Amara said. "So Instead I found my own beauty in fighting, but Father would never approve of anything beyond fencing or martial arts." Amara went onto say. "So I said screw it and left the family to join Chaldea, and I had planned on never looking back at that damn bastard." Amara said as she spat out some blood onto the floor. "But I couldn't just abandon my sisters and Mother to my father's cruelty. Growing up knowing nothing about love is no way for a child to live." Amara explained.

"So you did it all to try and free your sisters and Mother from your Father's Iron fist?" I asked.

"More or less, but I was naive in believing that bastard. He promised that the Grail could grant me my wish, but that bastard betrayed me in the end." Amara replied. "Instead of sharing the power of the grail, he kept the grail for himself so he could destroy the world. I never would have agreed to his plan had I known he had wanted to destroy humanity." Amara said.

"Who wants to destroy Humanity Amara? Who was it that betrayed you and stole the Grail from you?" I exclaimed. Then Amara reached out and gripped my forearm tightly squeezing it with what little strength she had left.

"Christopher…. Promise me…. Promise me that you'll try and get my sisters and Mother away from my Father. They deserve better…" Amara pleaded as she gripped my forearm. I saw the sincerity and desperation in her eyes.

"That's a tall order Amara…" I murmured as I looked down at her hand gripping my forearm. "I don't have any political clout in the Mage world; I'm just one of Chaldea's goons as Rin Tohsaka would put it." I said.

"Heh we're all Chaldean goons to Rin Tohsaka." Amara said with a faint chuckle before she began to cough some more. "... But please, try and get Olga to help if you can. You have the Director's ear now, she listens and trusts you." Amara said.

"I don't know about that Amara, she didn't even tell me when she made up her mind about you." I replied. "Or that she sent a pair of operatives to go and retrieve you."

"That's just how she is, you'll get used to it." Amara replied with a faint smile. "But please try and get Olga to help. If nothing else let my sisters know that their Big Sister loves them and will be with them always." Amara begged.

"You can tell your Sisters that yourself whenever we get you to Doctor Roman and explain to the Director this mess." I said.

"Just promise me, please!" Amara once again pleaded.

"...Okay Amara, you have my promise that I'll do what I can to help your sisters." I said as I reached up to my shoulder and gripped her hand tightly. In response a faint smile formed on Amara's lips.

"Thank you." Amara replied as she let go of my arm and her hand returned to her side. Amara leaned back against the wall as she seemed to have expanded all of her energy into reaching out to grip my arm.

"Now who was it that betrayed you? Who is behind everything?" I asked once more.

"Heh, who else do you think could have been behind all of this...?" Amara asked in reply. "...I certainly wasn't smart enough to have done this all on my own. If he hadn't been for him, I would have never even had learned about the Holy Grail in Chaldea's possession..." Amara murmured as she tilted her head to one side, it looked as if she was having a hard time staying awake.

"Who?!" I exclaimed.

"Is-Isn't it obvious...it was none other than L-L…" Amara muttered just before her eyes closed shut and her head slumped downwards.

"Amara?" I inquired. I reached out and grasped her shoulder lightly shaking it, but there was no response. "Amara!" I exclaimed once more and this time shook her a bit more violently, but there was still no response. "AMARA! Wake up god damn it!" I exclaimed as I grasped her other shoulder and shook her as hard as I could. There was no response from her and I didn't so much as see her chest rise up or down. I let go of her shoulder and my hand went to her neck as I felt for a pulse….. There was nothing. I let go of her, my hands falling to my sides as I knelt before her. "I'm sorry Amara, It looks like I couldn't save you either." I murmured sadly to her now lifeless body.

"What in god's name is going on here?!" Just then I heard a voice behind me and I saw Andersen and Olga standing in the doorway to the Prison cell. Andersen had his gun out and behind him I saw Olga who raised her hands to her mouth in shock as she saw Amara's lifeless body slouched down in front of me. I imagine the sight of me kneeling in front of Amara covered in blood didn't paint a very good picture. Before I could say anything however, Scathach appeared out from behind Andersen and looked at me with a sour expression.

"Assassin escaped, I'm sorry Christopher."

* * *

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	22. Chapter Twenty Two The Aftermath

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**The Aftermath**

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The silence that filled the room was deafening as we all stood around the table wearing grim expressions on our faces. We had gathered around a table in a meeting room located somewhere deep in the confines of Chaldea where nobody lurked. I had never been to this particular meeting room before, and had never known of its existence up until now. It was an unremarkable room that was dimly lit with nothing that stood out to me; there was a circular table that sat in the middle of the room with four red chairs around it. The one thing that was odd about it was that the table was located in a circle down two set of stairs. Sitting on one side of the room a grandfather clock, its hands still ticking away through the silence, while the opposite side of the room contained a cutout in the wall where a coffee machine and tea set sat. Lastly I could make out a large screen or TV monitor on the back wall, but it was currently off right now. It was an odd room more than anything, but regardless I had more pressing matters on my hands right now...

"So run this by me again, our main suspect along with six other members of our security staff are dead…" Olga finally spoke up as she finished rubbing her temples, breaking the silence that had gripped the meeting room. Olga was the only one in the room who was currently seated as the rest of us were all standing. "... because of an Assassin servant whose master is unknown to us?" Olga said as she looked up at the two of us, Scathach and I nodded our heads in silence. Olga turned her attention to Andersen who was standing by her side and next to me. "Is what they are saying true, Andersen?" Olga asked directly.

"It would appear that way Director." Andersen said as he handed her a tablet which Olga accepted and placed in front of her. "We managed to recover the security footage from one of the cameras in the hallway that shows Assassin murdering the guards, before heading inside of Amara's cell." Andersen explained as he reached down and tapped the play button where I could see an upside down view of the chaos that ensued between Assassin and the guards as he or she cut them down. "Only a few minutes later would Christopher and Lancer appear on scene until eventually Assassin would exit the cell chased by Lancer." Andersen went onto explain. "Several of the cameras in the area confirm their story." Andersen added.

"I see so what they say is true…" Olga murmured as she watched the security footage playback on the tablet in front of her. Mentally I would sigh a sigh of relief, if it hadn't been for those tapes, Scathach and I very well may have found ourselves in a holding cell. So thank God for Andersen's hard work in getting that security footage from outside the holding cells. After a few moments Olga would pause the recording and push the tablet to the side where she would direct her attention to Doctor Roman who was the only other one in the room with us, he was standing on the Directors right across the table from Scathach and I. "And what say you Doctor Roman?" Olga asked.

"Oh uh... well…" Roman murmured as he looked down at the tablet he held in his hands as he scratched his cheek. "I haven't had a chance to do an autopsy on any of the bodies yet, but from what I gathered, the security guards died from having their throats slit or stab wounds to the heart or other vital organs." Roman replied looking back up the Director. "None of them died from gunshot wounds as far as I could tell…" Roman added casting a glance in my direction.

"What about Amara?" Olga asked as she interlocked her fingers. Roman snapped his attention back to the Director and looked back down at his tablet.

"W-Well I didn't have a chance to perform an autopsy on her either..." Roman said before trailing off.

"Come now Doctor, I brought you here because you're our Chief Medical Officer." Olga said. "Not so you could come up with excuses." Olga added.

"Hey I could only do so much given such short notice!" Roman exclaimed. "I may be a Doctor, but I'm not a miracle worker. You can't expect me to perform seven autopsies in little under two hours!" Roman said.

"Right, but I did tell you to prioritize Amara's body first." Olga said and Roman let out a deep sigh. "Just tell us what you found." Olga said with a gesture of her hand.

"Well…" Roman said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "From what I did manage to gather, I found lots of dried blood caking her neck suggesting she had her throat slit like some of the others. There were also traces of blood in and around her mouth." Roman said. "But I can't be for certain since there is no actual cut or damage to her windpipe suggesting it was healed." Roman said and glanced up from his tablet, Olga's eyes wandered over to me.

"Well Christopher? What have you to say about that?" Olga inquired.

"It's as the Doctor said, she did have her throat slit when I found her." I said gesturing my hand towards Roman. "I did what I could to try and stop the bleeding, but she was already losing too much blood. With Lancer chasing after Assassin, I was left all alone with Amara." I explained. "So I had no choice other than to heal the gash in her neck with my own magic." I said as I once more gripping my hands by my waist...

"The evidence certainly points to that being the case." Roman said.

"So why isn't Amara alive then?" Olga asked next.

"Umm… Well I did heal her! Nothing seemed to have gone wrong with the spell." I said as I felt as my grip tightened on my hands. "But a few minutes later Amara passed out on me and when I checked on her, there was no pulse." I explained.

"Blood loss was likely the cause of death Director if what Christopher says is true." Roman said before Olga could say anything. "While I can't be certain until I do a full autopsy, judging from the time between Assassin entering her cell and when Christopher entered, she must have already lost quite a lot of blood during that time period." Roman said.

"The amount of blood we found in her cell would certainly back that statement up." Andersen chimed in.

"Yes, I saw." Roman said. "While healing magic can heal things like cuts or gunshots it can't restore someone's blood..." Roman said, which made my mind wander back to that time I had been shot in Philly. If I had waited too long to heal that injury, I would have wound up like Amara.

"Yes, Yes I'm aware Doctor!" Olga said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Then if you already know that, then you should know that the only way Chris could have saved her as if he had done a blood transfusion on the spot..." Roman said.

"Which would have been impossible given his circumstances. I know." Olga said as she brought her hands up to her face. I didn't even know if I was the same blood type as Amara in all honesty.

"But that's my medical opinion Director, Amara died likely due to blood loss after Christopher saved her." Roman said. "The rest of the guards died by stab wounds or slit throats from my quick examinations." Roman added.

"Andersen who did we lose?" Olga murmured.

"We lost Ganio, Jenkins, Adamovich, Sarah, and Yuma." Andersen said listing off the names of people we lost. I heard Olga let out a deep sigh of frustration and watched as she rubbed her eyes.

"More burdens I must bear…" Olga murmured under her breath. We stood there in silence for what felt like a minute as we watched the Director rubbed her temples in frustration or depression. "... I'll write condolences letters to their family later tonight along with filing their workers compensation." Olga said as she lowered her hands from her face.

"I can do that if you want Director." Andersen suggested.

"No that won't be necessary, I'll do it myself." Olga asserted and Andersen nodded his head. "Now then, Lancer." Olga said and Scathach opened her eyes and turned to face Olga.

"Yes Director?" Scathach replied.

"This Assassin, what can you tell me about him?" Olga asked.

"I can tell you what I told Christopher." Scathach said and Olga nodded her head. "He was one of the nineteen heads of the Hassan family. They were an organization based in Persia made out of assassins and thieves who committed many assassinations and thefts throughout the Middle East during the 11th century and beyond." Scathach explained.

"I recall Christopher and Mashu ran into one of them back in Fuyuki." Olga said and Scathach nodded her head.

"Christopher told me that as well, but it could have been a different one for all we know." Scathach said and Olga tilted her head. "As I said each one of the Hassans is a different person, but they shed their old identities to become Hassan and lead the organization. It makes sense that they would be summoned under the Assassin class." Scathach added as Olga rubbed her chin curiously.

"I see, a curious individual for certain…" Olga murmured. "And you say this Assassin escaped you?"

"Regrettably so, I'm afraid." Scathach replied and I saw her clutch her hands tightly. "If Assassin class servants are good at one thing, it's running away and hiding." Scathach said not leaving much room for interpretation. Although I was generally curious as to how Assassin managed to escape Scathach's clutches.

"Unfortunate, but understandable." Olga said as she intertwined her fingers resting them on the table. "I've already assigned Jeanne and Mashu to do a thorough search of the perimeter, but Jeanne tells me she can't detect any other servants besides the four already on base so I'm afraid that he's escaped for good." Olga said. "I'll put them on patrol once they've searched the perimeter just in case…"

After the Director had informed us that Jeanne and Mashu were on the prowl for Assassin, I think a lot of us felt a bit more at ease. The room soon fell into silence however, that silence was short lived as it would soon be disturbed by the subtle tapping of the Directors finger against the table as she eyed me suspiciously. So much for feeling at ease...

"But that still begs the question, what the hell is going on Operative?" Olga said and soon all eyes were on me. Feeling a bit hot under the collar with so many eyes on me I tugged on my collar a little bit, before proceeding to clear my throat.

"Ahem Well…" I said.

"Well what?" Olga replied with a raised brow.

"I spoke with Amara before she passed." I said and I think I saw everybody's eyebrows raise a little.

"You spoke with Amara?!" Olga exclaimed almost jumping out of her seat as her hand smacked down on the table.

"Well yes, Amara and I spoke briefly before she died." I said as I remembered back to our conversation.

"I heard you the first time operative, but what did she say!" Olga demanded.

"Did she say who sent the Assassin?" Andersen asked.

"Assassin was likely one of her servants. I bet she just ordered him to kill her so she could take the easy way out." Olga said sure of herself as she crossed her arms.

"Actually No." I replied. "Amara said that the Assassin was sent by the person she had been working with, as it turns out that Amara wasn't the mastermind after all." I said.

"WHAT?!" Olga exclaimed what everybody must have been thinking. "Explain Operative!" Olga went onto demand.

"Amara told me that she was working with somebody else to steal the Holy Grail from Chaldea and that they were the Mastermind." I said. "And when it came time for them to share the power, Amara's partner ended up betraying her and keeping the Grail for himself, she said." I explained. "She seemed to think that Assassin was sent by him to tie up loose ends, to prevent her from talking is my guess." I added.

"And how is it that you think you can possibly trust anything that Amara said?" Olga said eyeing me suspiciously. "She's a known liar and traitor to the organization, she killed her co-workers just so she could get the grail!" Olga exclaimed.

"Well actually, Amara claims that she did not kill anybody at all." I said. "While she admitted to embezzling money from the organization, and stealing from us. She said that she was just as surprised as the rest of us when the bombs went off three years ago. While she didn't outright state that it was the work of her partner, all the signs seem to point to that being the case." I explained.

"Even if that is the case, how can we possibly trust anything she's said?" Olga repeated once more. "She could have just been lying so that she would look less guilty. It's easier to blame all your problems on somebody else." Olga stated.

"I know all that, and I'm not saying I do believe her." I said acknowledging what she said. "But she didn't seem like she was lying." I said.

"And why do you say that?" Olga asked.

"Well usually when a person's life is fading before their eyes that's generally not a time when they lie. So I don't think she was lying. People are usually more honest in those final moments, and not only that, but I did save her life..." I tried to explain my reasoning to an already skeptical Olga.

The Director narrowed her eyes at me as crossed her arms across her chest seemingly falling into deep thought. Andersen jumped on this opportunity to ask something I suspected he had been wanting to know since the beginning.

"By any chance did Amara divulge her motives to you?" Andersen asked as he turned to face me.

"That was one of the things we discussed, yes." I replied nodding my head. "Amara was very forthcoming believe it or not." I said and I saw that even the Director's interest was piqued.

"Well what did she say?" Andersen asked. "Why did she betray the Organization she spent so many years of her life working and fighting for?" Andersen asked once more, this time with more eagerness behind his tone.

"It turns out that it was not as I had originally suspected." I said. "Originally I had suspected that Amara was doing it out of petty revenge to get back at her father for losing her title as heir to the family, or that perhaps she was a psychotic woman who wanted to wipe out humanity." I explained. Andersen and Olga had already heard this before, but I figured I'd refresh their memories. "Well Amara profile doesn't fit that of psychotic woman hell bent on genocide, and the people I talked too over the past month seemed to reinforce that belief." I went onto say. "As it turns out, I wasn't that far off the mark regarding it having something to do with her family. However I was wrong about her wanting to get revenge against her father for stripping her title as heir to the family." I explained. "She told me that she couldn't have given a damn about becoming heir, saying she knew full well she'd lose her title upon joining Chaldea." I said.

"If she didn't do it to seek revenge, then why did she do it?" Andersen asked.

"Well I don't know how familiar either one of you are with Amara's family." I said as I scratched my forehead. "I myself didn't know very much about her or her family until just recently, but Amara told me about her two sisters she had back home." I said.

"I knew she had siblings, but I didn't know that much about them." Andersen admitted and I shifted my gaze over to Olga who had remained quiet the entire time thus far.

"...I knew about her two sisters, yes." Olga replied. "She would talk about them frequently, and if I recall she had several pictures of her with her sisters in her office."

"Family was the motivating factor behind her betrayal of her organization, she did it all so she could protect her sisters and mother." I said. "Now you might be asking, protect her family from whom? Well it turns out that the head of the Islema family isn't a very loving or caring man to his daughters." I said raising a few eyebrows throughout the room. "Amara informed me of the poor treatment she and her siblings endured under her father, saying that he would often punish severely them if they didn't meet his expectations. She didn't go as far as to explain in detail how he punished them, but she seemed to suggest that he would punish them in cruel or unusual ways without directly beating or starving them, in what ways I don't exactly know." I admitted. "Amara did however say that her father would regularly beat her mother if she spoke out against him, she couldn't divorce him either due to mage politics or something."

"I can't excuse her actions, but I can understand where she was coming from. I know that I would do what I could to protect my own family." Andersen murmured as he covered his mouth. "And with a father like that I can understand now why she didn't like to talk about her family."

"I knew things were rough in her family, but I didn't know things were that bad…." Olga murmured.

"Amara told me how her Father punished his children whenever they didn't do something perfect, all in order to help mold them into perfect beings. There was also a suggestion that Amara's father experimented on his children via mage craft or methods of experimentation." I further explained. "Which is part of the Islema vision of reaching the root, creating the most beautiful and perfect human being imaginable." I explained. "Amara and her siblings were expected to do the same to their children." I added.

"That's just not right…" Andersen murmured.

"Amara said she eventually got sick of her father's treatment and left to join Chaldea." I finished leaving Andersen to only shake his head. Olga remained silent for a few moments causing our attention to turn towards her. Olga had a stern expression on her face.

"I know you and Andersen don't come from Mage families, however…." Olga said before trailing off for a moment. "However as an heir to a mage family, you have certain expectations you're supposed to meet no matter how tough or unrealistic they might be, in Islema family's case it to craft the perfect human being. I'm not excusing her Father's behavior; however I'm not going to excuse Amara's behavior either. She knew her responsibilities and chose to run away from them." Olga said sternly, and I found myself narrowing my eyes in disgust.

"I may not come from a mage bloodline, but even I know what her father did was unacceptable." I replied. "Just because you're from a mage family doesn't excuse abuse of your children or spouse, or scientific experimentation on them!" I exclaimed. "We have some pretty basic human principles that state you shouldn't be a piece of garbage to your wife and kids." I said. "Besides Amara found her own beauty in fighting, which I think in itself is respectable, for all we know maybe she had been onto something."

"None of those principles or fantasies matter in the world of mage craft…" Olga replied which caused me to squeeze my other hand tightly. "...But Regardless of how any of us feel about the situation, let's get back on track." Olga said "Now that we know her motivations, what happened? What had she planned on doing with the Holy Grail?" Olga inquired and I loosened my grip as I tried to calm down.

"She didn't quite say what she had planned on doing with the grails power; I can only assume she was going to use the grail to free her sisters and mother from her Father's terror." I replied. "Perhaps use the grail to kill her Father? Or maybe it would have been as simple as saying "I wish my sisters and Mother were free" I don't really know to be frank with you." I said.

"And you mentioned earlier, that her partner betrayed her and kept the grail for him or herself?" Olga asked.

"That's correct; she was betrayed in the end. Her partner ended up keeping the grail for himself and refused to share its power once he got his hands on it." I said nodding my head.

"Then why didn't she come to me with all of this information, I would have heard her out!" Olga inquired.

"She said she ran because she knew she would become the fall guy and that she didn't expect a fair trial, she also knew she might be killed if she would come back to Chaldea." I said. "Which as we all know now, her fears had been rightly warranted." I added.

"Assuming everything you've said thus far is true Christopher, you've still yet to tell us who Amara's Partner or the so called Mastermind as she put it, was." Olga said as she tapped her finger against the table.

"... I'm sorry to say Director, that I didn't get a name." I replied gripping my hands tightly once more as I prepared for the incoming scolding.

"What?" Olga replied. "What do you mean you didn't get a name?" OIga demanded.

"Believe me I tried Director, but Amara avoided answering the question up until she neared the end of her life." I said.

"That makes no sense! Why would she withhold his or her name?" Olga inquired. "This was the person who betrayed her after all; I would have thought she'd gladly divulge his or her name!" Olga exclaimed.

"I don't know what to say Director; she seemed more focused on trying to explain herself than anything else." I replied.

"Well of course! You have to try and make yourself seem less innocent in the end." Olga murmured angrily.

"I only managed to get a letter from her Director." I said.

"A letter? What letter?" Olga exclaimed.

"She managed to say the letter L before she died." I replied.

"The Letter L? What good does that do us?" Olga stated.

"Well how many people in Chaldea do we know that have a name that starts with the letter L?" I inquired and Olga raised her hand up to her head.

"Not many, at least not many people in positions where they would be capable of doing something of this nature let alone have access to sensitive information in Chaldea." Olga murmured. "Unless of course she was going to say Leonardo Da Vinci..!" Olga exclaimed.

"Director…" Roman murmured.

"What?! It's not an impossible notion." Olga exclaimed.

"Would Amara even know Doctor Da Vinci?" I asked.

"She would if Da Vinci was the one who came up to her." Olga said.

"How long has Da Vinci even been around? The Robberies and crimes themselves didn't occur until the early 20's." I said.

"She… Or he has been around since 2012." Olga said, and we all still seemed a bit skeptical. "Come on! Leonardo Da Vinci was a genius of the renaissance, so she has the brains to be able to pull something like this off. She/he certainly is a sketchy enough character to do something like this." Olga explained her reasoning to us.

"Director I think you're just looking for any excuse to be rid of Da Vinci..." Roman said.

"What? No!" Olga said. "We detected the first signs of the singularity in 2015 when Lev completed Shiva, and Da Vinci was here before 2015…." Olga said before being cut off.

"Director, I do not believe that is the name Amara was trying to say…" I said and Olga turned her attention towards me.

"What? Why not?" Olga exclaimed. "Who else could there be besides them?" Olga demanded to know.

"I think that…" I said and paused for a moment as I thought about whether or not I should say what was on my mind. I eventually decided that it should be said regardless even if I wasn't one hundred percent certain. "I believe that Amara meant to say that it was Professor Lev who was her partner and the mastermind behind everything." I finally said and every eyebrow in the room rose.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN LEV?!" Olga exclaimed so loudly that no doubt anyone remotely close by would have heard her, defeating the point of a private meeting. "What an absurd notion to suggest that Professor Lev is the Mastermind by the Singularities and thefts. Surely you must jest Operative!" Olga inquired as her hand once more smacked down on the table.

"I do not Director; I believe that Amara meant to say Professor Lev." I replied.

"And what evidence do you have to support such a ridiculous accusation." Olga said. "Lest you forget that Lev died three years ago when the bombs were set off in the server rooms. Which for all we know Amara was the one who set off the bombs." Olga said as she continued to lecture me.

"I did not forget Director…." I said before being cut off.

"Were it not for Lev we would have not learned that she was behind the string of robberies years ago, or any of her treachery for that matter." Olga went on. "Lev helped us uncover Amara's wrong doings even after he had been killed, and now you have the gall to accuse the very person who helped bring Amara down as the one behind it all." Olga said bristling with anger now as a vein popped on the back of her head.

"I understand that it sounds farfetched, but please Director we have to consider every possible suspect. It's possible that Lev could still be alive, we never did manage to recover his body..." I said trying to explain to Olga who was still looking unconvinced. "...Look Director, Amara herself said that it should be obvious who it was, and she talked as if it was an insider. So it must be someone who's been right under our noses the entire time…!" I said before being cut off once more.

"Just like how Amara was underneath our noses the entire time?" Olga asked in reply before she shook her head. "Lev's life's work was for that of Chaldea and for the benefit of all mankind, and you now honestly expect me to believe the words of a traitor over that of a man who my own Father trusted with his life?! " Olga exclaimed as she placed her hand on her chest.

"But Director...!" I protested.

"NO BUTS!" Olga proclaimed sternly as she slammed her fist against the table, her rage boiling over now. "I won't allow Amara to drag Lev's name down with her in some attempt to try and redeem herself. She has already done enough damage to this organization that Lev and my Father helped build up, I won't allow her to do any more." Olga said shaking her head before she eventually brought her hand to her head. "I'll hear no more of this talk about Lev being the traitor, am I understood?" Olga stated and I reluctantly nodded my head. With that said and done, the room had now fallen back into an awkward silence. Even though I had just been on the receiving end of the Directors fury, there was still more that needed to be discussed.

"So what now Director?" I asked. "Surely you must realize that there is someone else still out there that Amara was working with, that much is indisputable. Someone killed Amara to try and silence her, and they're still out there causing chaos." I pointed out and Olga rubbed her temples.

"Yes I'm not that stupid Operative." Olga replied and I stiffened in response. "I am aware of that fact, and from here on out we'll just have to assume that Amara was working with an outsider who used her as their inside source." Olga said which caused me to grumble a little bit. That ran contradictory to everything we knew thus far! But there was no point in arguing with Olga. "We'll just have to wait until more information presents itself as we sort out these singularities." Olga said as she pinched her nose.

"Yes Ma'am." Everyone in the room said in response.

"Speaking of Singularities. I forgot to tell you all, but Doctor Da Vinci mentioned to me earlier today that the next Singularity will be starting tomorrow." Olga said which surprised me a little. It was on such short notice, and after everything that had just happened. "So I expect you all to be ready by tomorrow, we have our work cut out for us in these upcoming weeks. Especially you, Lancer and Christopher." Olga said.

"Yes Ma'am." Scathach and I replied in sync.

"I already informed Mashu and Jeanne of it, so once they finish their patrol they'll head to bed." Olga explained. "I suggest that you do the same, I fear this will be one of the last chances you get at a good night's rest for a while…" Olga said.

With the sudden notice of the singularities, we were all left in silence to collect our thoughts regarding the situation ahead of us, or perhaps some of us were still collecting our thoughts from the current situation we had just barely recovered from. There was still more I needed to say to the Director however.

"Director If I may, there is something else I might add…" I said speaking up. Olga lifted her head from her hands and turned her attention to me.

"Yes, what is it?" Olga asked as she rested her arms on the table.

"I know what I'm about to ask for is a lot, especially after everything Amara has done…" I said which immediately caused Olga to narrow her eyes. "But Amara asked me in her final moments if there was something I could do for her…" I said which was met by raised brows. "Amara asked me if I could help could her sisters and Mother get away from her father's cruelty, but I have no leverage or political clout in the mage world. I was wondering if perhaps you could help Amara's sister and mother." I explained and Olga tapped her finger against the table for a few moments before responding.

"Absolutely not." Olga said and my shoulders sunk a little in response. "While I can sympathize with what Amara's sisters and mother must be going through, I will not cause conflict between the Animusphere family and Islema family, especially not over the likes of a traitor like Amara." Olga said. Her response had been expected, but it hadn't made it any less disappointing.

"Director please, Amara may have been the one to have betrayed the organization, but her family doesn't deserve to suffer at the hands of their father." I said. "What Amara may have done was wrong, but at least her intentions were noble at the very least. I'm not asking for us to assassinate Mr. Islema or anything of the kind, but maybe use your leverage to force him to step down or stop abusing his children at the very least..." I said, but I was only met by head shakes in response.

"I get what you're trying to do Operative, and while it's admirable, the answer is still No." Olga replied. "While it may be true that Mr. Islema is beating his wife and abusing his children, it is none of the Animusphere families concern. Interfering in another Mage family's affairs will only reflect poorly on the Animusphere family and be seen as interference in their domestic affairs. I understand that you don't come from a Mage Family Operative, but abusive or strict parents are not uncommon in Mage families, and family struggles are very serious matters." Olga explained.

"So just because it's common place, that makes it okay?" I exclaimed and Olga shook her head once more.

"No it's not and that's not what I'm saying." Olga replied. "What I'm saying is that because it is so common place in Mage families, we would be finding ourselves with a lot of enemies if we were to go after the Islema family on such grounds. It is not to say that most of the Mage families do not condemn that kind of behavior, but it is not a fight that would want to find ourselves in right now." Olga said. "So I will not cause bad blood between the Animusphere family and Islema family over this issue. I would suggest you drop the issue and do not pursue it any further as well, unless you wish to find yourself treading in dangerous waters." Olga said, which it sounded more like an order than it did advice.

"I understand Director…." I said reluctantly nodding my head.

"It's regrettable, but an unfortunate reality we have to face." Olga said as she intertwined her fingers. "Now I suggest you two go and get some sleep, I'll be expecting you in the Command room bright and early tomorrow." Olga said.

"Y-Yes Director." I said with a nod of my head.

"Understood." Scathach added.

"Andersen." Olga said, glancing to her side to face Andersen.

"Yes Director?" Andersen said as she snapped to attention.

"I'll be placing you in charge of Chaldea's security forces from here from this day forward." Olga directed as she leaned forward against the table. "With a little under half of our forces now dead, it'll be up to you to reorganize our forces and secure all of our sites. You'll also need to root out any sympathizers of Amara or soldiers still loyal to her; we cannot afford to have another mutiny on such a grand scale." Olga explained. "I trust you to get the job done Andersen. You'll still be stationed here in the same office as before and you'll remain the rank of Colonel, as I think the rank of General should remain dead with Amara." Olga said.

"Thank you Director, I'm honored by your praise and grateful for your trust." Andersen said nodding his head. "I'll make sure that your faith in me is not misplaced Director." Andersen added.

"I know it's a tough job, but I'm counting on you." Olga said and Andersen nodded his head once more before giving a salute. With all of that said and done, Olga now turned her attention to Roman who had remained quiet for all this time. "As for you Romani, I'll be expecting those autopsy reports on my desk BY MORNING!" Olga barked causing Roman to jump.

"Y-Yes Director!" Roman snapped to attention giving a salute. "... I'll have those reports on your desk for you by morning..." Roman murmured.

"Good." Olga said nodding in approval. "Now everything we've said thus far will remain in this room, and lastly I will not indulge any more notions of the idea that Professor Lev is the main culprit behind everything. Not unless you bring me a picture of Amara handing Lev the grail herself!" Olga said, her eyes directed at me when she said that. "Am I understood?"

"Y-Yes Ma'am." I said.

"Yes Ma'am!" Everyone else said following suit.

"Good! You're all dismissed!" Olga said. With our orders clear now the four of us gave Olga a respective salute before filing out of the meeting room heading into the hallway leaving Olga to herself…

Once we were outside and the door was closed behind us, we turned to face one another. After several long hours, the meeting had finally been concluded and I think all of us were more than a little tired at this point. I turned to Andersen who was standing there still recovering from the meeting.

"So I guess Congratulations are in order?" I said.

"I guess so." Andersen replied sounding unsure. "Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would be placed in charge of all of Chaldea's security forces." Andersen said shaking his head.

"If I had been in the Director's shoes I would have made the same choice." I said reassuringly. "You're the most qualified man for the job here at Chaldea, and I have no doubt you'll pull us through." I added.

"Yeah you're probably right." Andersen said.

"So Andersen, what do you make of all this?" I asked.

"You mean the whole situation regarding Amara?" Andersen asked in reply and I nodded my head. "... I don't know what to think anymore. This whole thing is a bloody mess to be honest with you. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Amara is dead, and now you're saying that it might be Lev who's behind everything." Andersen said proceeding to rub his eyes.

"I know it sounds farfetched, but Amara said "Shouldn't it be obvious by now?"" I said. "Which leaves me to believe that it has to be someone who is right under our noses, and who other than Lev could it be? He had the security access, the trust of the Director, and has been here longer than any of us." I explained.

"I don't know. It's true that we never did find his body..." Andersen muttered cupping his chin. "But it's also true that we didn't recover any other bodies from the server rooms, everyone there was incinerated. I don't see how anyone could have survived that. Also had he been the one to do all this, why would he wind up killing himself?" Andersen pointed out.

"Maybe you're right…" I murmured.

"I'm just saying that we can't be for certain until more evidence presents itself." Andersen said and I was left scratching my head. I turned my attention to Roman who had been standing there quietly listening to our conversation.

"What about you Roman? What do you think?" I asked.

"I must admit that I'm skeptical as well." Roman replied. "Lev was the one who invented Shiva, which allows us to observe the future and the past so we can try and prevent its destruction. If he wanted to destroy humanity why would he invent something like that?" Roman asked leaving me once more to scratch my head furiously.

"I don't know." I replied.

"Besides having studied with Lev at the Mages Association, I can tell you that Lev doesn't fit the profile of a psychopath hell bent on genocide." Roman added. "He was a quiet intelligent man who came off as calm and collected." Roman said. Amara hadn't come off as a psychopath either, but she still ended up being the traitor without being one. I didn't know what to think at this point, on the one hand the case against Lev had come crumbling apart, but on the other hand there was still something telling me that I shouldn't cross Lev out. All I had to go off of my assumption was statements from Amara and the letter L, which wasn't a lot. I would need more than that before I could make any more accusations of who was the mastermind…

"Whelp I need to get back to my office." Andersen said breaking the silence that had followed suit. "I've got a lot of work ahead of me tonight if I want to rebuild our Security forces to what it once was." Andersen said looking at me.

"And I have to start working on those autopsies…" Roman murmured, gripping his tablet tightly against his chest. "... It's going to take all night if I want to have Olga those reports by morning." Roman said as he hung his head dismayed.

"Well have fun Roman." I said.

"Yeah, I'll see you in the morning Chris." Roman said. "Don't forget to get some sleep, we'll be rayshifting you guys as early as possible." Roman added and I nodded my head in reply.

"Understood." I said before Roman began to sulk his way back to his office. Andersen gave me a wave of his hand before he took off back to his office.

"Bye Andersen, Roman." I said as I gave them a wave goodbye. I watched them until they disappeared around the corner leaving behind me and Scathach.

"Well I guess we better get going too. We need to get some sleep for tomorrow." I said turning to Scathach. Scathach only nodded her head in response. "You're sure awfully quiet." I stated.

"Is that so unusual for someone who has nothing to say?" Scathach asked in reply.

"No I guess not..." I replied. "Anyway it looks like we've got the singularity ahead of us." I added.

"Looks like it." Scathach said.

"Do you have anything to say about my Lev theory?" I inquired.

"No, I wasn't there when you and Amara had your conversation so I can't tell you whether or not I think she was lying." Scathach replied with a gesture of her hand.

"Right..." I said turning my back to her. "So I guess for now it'll just have to remain a theory since all I have is the word of a traitor." I murmured to myself.

"Should we tell Jeanne and Mashu about any of this?" Scathach asked.

"No." I replied shaking my head. "We don't need to get them involved in any of my crazy theories. On top of that, the Director told me to drop it. So if I brought it up again, I could get in trouble." I added.

"I see." Scathach said.

"Besides we've got the singularity ahead of us, and I don't want their mind to be plagued by those worries during such a critical time." I said as I began walking down the hallway scratching my head. "I'm not looking forward to jumping back into another hell infested place though…"

"At least you won't have to fill out any paperwork now."

"Shut up."

* * *

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	23. Chapter Twenty Three Into the Void

**Chapter Twenty Three**

**Into The Void**

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes to be greeted by a blinding white light which caused me to raise my hand up to my face in response. Taking a moment to gather myself I slowly sat up from where I had been lying and lowered my hand from my face. My eyes widened suddenly as I looked at my hands, my hands were small and frail with polished nails, and they were paler than my own skin. I also noticed that my chest happened to be a lot less flat, as there was a pair of breast where a cupboard would usually be.

What in the hell was going on? My hands went up to my face where I felt a different facial structures than my own while there was no Adam's apple. I ran my hands through my hair and found that it was long and straight, and upon lifting my hair up I saw it was blonde, like a certain someone's. Looking back down I saw I was wearing a pair of white pants, a white dress uniform, and a pair of knee high boots. While I couldn't say for certain, I was pretty sure I knew who I was right now. Placing one hand on my knee and another on the ground I pushed myself up off the ground slowly but surely. Once I was up on my feet I looked around to try and determine where I was and…. Well I couldn't quite say. Everything around me was a white void, with no colors visible whatsoever. It was like I was trapped in some sort of room painted white, but this didn't look like any room. I knelt down and ran my hands across the floor to find it was a solid flat surface with no texture and looking up there was a bright light shone from the sky, almost as if there was a sun, but from what I could determine there was no actual sun. Looking around some more, I saw that there wasn't a soul in sight. It looks like I was all by myself in whatever bizarro world this was. It reminded me a bit like that dream I had with Alter Jeanne, but this time I was by myself. I was left standing there scratching my head as I tried to make out what exactly was going on…

"Amara!" A female voice called out to me. I spun around to face the voice but found nothing there instead. I was left scratching my chin as I tried to figure out what was going on, but before I could try and figure out what was going on the voice came again.

"Amara!" The voice called out to me once more. I spun around a bit faster to face the voice, but this time I was greeted by myself in a mirror. This caused me to jump a little at the sight of my reflection. Looking around I now found myself standing in a bedroom, an unremarkably bland room might I add. A twin bed with black and grey sheets sat in the middle of the room with its four pillows. There was a desk with a chair over by the window and the dresser that I was currently standing in front of with its mirror. While the room itself was bland, there were plenty of personal touches or signs that someone lived here such as books lying about and a violin stood in the corner. Facing the mirror once more I leaned in to get a closer look at the face staring back at me.

Sure enough I saw two diamonds staring straight back at me with straight golden hair that went down to my lower back. This time I was wearing a more casual outfit that was more feminine than I had ever seen Amara wear before. I gripped my chin and tilted my head, looking at myself at multiple different angles. Huh, I guess I really was Amara, but that was strange; I still had both my eyes instead of just the one. Not sure what to think of all this, I looked at my surroundings where I found a duffle bag sitting on the dresser, pulling the zipper back I found it was already filled with clothes and other various items. I guess I was leaving for somewhere, and I guess that somewhere was Chaldea. Looking around some more I found a photo sitting up against the window. Reaching down I picked the photo up and brought it to my face. Upon closer inspection I saw it was a photo of Amara with her sisters and mother, her father seemingly missing from the photo. In said photo Amara was hugging her sisters and mother happily, and it appeared as if Amara was the tallest amongst her siblings and her mother. I was taken aback though, because for the first time I saw a genuine smile emitting from Amara. I rub the photo affectionately for a moment before deciding to place it inside the duffle bag and zipping it close. Lifting the bag up over my shoulder I made my way over to the door and opened it preparing to walk out, but not before taking one last look at Amara's room. It had been nice to see what I assumed was Amara's room, but there was nothing to be done here. Unless of course I just crawled back into bed, maybe then this fever dream would be over. Shaking my head at the possibility, I faced the doorway and walked out...

Opening my eyes I found myself back in the white void from earlier, without the duffle bag and back in my Chaldea uniform. I looked around to see that just like last time I was all alone in the void. What had been the purpose of visiting Amara's room if I was only going to wind up back here again?

"You want to go join Chaldea as some sort of Soldier?!" A man's voice suddenly called out to me in anger. I spun around and was greeted by the black silhouette of a man wielding a cane. "Some ambiguous organization that passes itself off as Private Military and Research center!" The man exclaimed. "Such an occupation is completely unbefitting of the heir to the Lordship of the House of Iselma, and I will not stand for it." The man, who I assumed was Amara's father, said as he slammed his cane against the ground. I felt my hand tighten into a fist as I wanted to yell at the old man for his arrogance, but before I could someone else did it for me.

"I don't care about becoming heir to the Family Title anymore, Father." Amara's voice replied, but it hadn't come from my mouth. "Not only that, but I'm done with our family's stupid selective breeding or gene experimentation, nor am I interested in doing it to my own children. I want to carve out my own destiny, and reach the Root my own way!" Amara snapped back.

"What?! Have you gone mad girl?" Amara's father exclaimed. "The Iselma family tradition of creating the most beautiful human has been the work of many generations, and you're going to throw it all away just so you can… "Play soldier" and "Reach the Root your own way."" Amara's father mocked. "A Fool's errand if I've ever heard one."

"It may be foolish, but I would rather be free to make my own life choices as an individual than be a slave to this families collective ideals." Amara replied.

"Such Arrogance!" Amara's father exclaimed and the sound of a slap followed suit. "You don't get to have a choice in the collective life's work of a dozen generations." Amara's father snapped. "Freedom? Individuality? Choice? What a joke! Only fools care for such things! All that matters is reaching the root!" Amara's father exclaimed.

"I'd rather be a fool who is free, than subject to another moment of your abuse or torture old man." Amara retorted.

"Tch I always knew you were stupid, but never this stupid." Amara's father retorted. "Fine, go join Chaldea and be ''free"." Amara's father went onto say with a wave of his hand. "Consider yourself stripped of heir to the family title and I best never see your face again." Amara's father said before turning his back to me and the shadow disintegrated leaving me alone once more. I had been left a little bit shaken by the whole conversation, but it had given me a bit of insight into Amara and her Father's feud. Amara had wanted to be free of her Father's oppression and carve out her own path in life, instead of being captive to what her family wanted… That was something I could respect.

In the blink of an eye I found myself in another location altogether, but this time it was in a familiar place. It was a place that I had grown all too accustomed too, I was standing in the Director's office. Looking around I saw that things were just as they were today, for the most part. My vision eventually stopped on the shadows of Olga and Amara sitting at the Director's desk. I slowly approached the desk from the side before eventually coming to a stop where I was about to reach my hand out and touch one of the shadows, but suddenly they started talking.

"So you're Amara Isemla of the Iselma family?" Olga inquired.

"That's right." Amara replied with a nod of her head.

"If knowledge serves me correctly the Islema strives to create the most beautiful person to help elevate them to a higher plane, so that they may reach the root." Olga said as she interlocked her finger.

"That's what we tell people." Amara replied.

"...So that leads me to my next question: What is the heir to the Islema family doing, applying to work at Chaldea as a Security officer?" Olga asked.

"Former heir to the Family." Amara corrected her.

"I see…" Olga said as she leaned back in her chair. "So can I then assume then that you're not here with your Father's blessing or Iselma's family backing?" Olga inquired.

"I'm afraid not." Amara replied. "You won't find much in the way of financial support from my family either." Amara added.

"So then, you're here on your own accord?" Olga asked.

"That's right, I'm here of my own choosing." Amara said with a nod of her head.

"... Well I won't ask about family disputes." OIga said as she leaned forward. "So you studied four years at the Mage's association, much like everyone else. However you achieved the rank of Pride at the clock tower, which is an impressive feat in itself." Olga said seemingly reading over Amara's resume.

"Thank you, but it was nothing. I studied and worked hard just like everyone else." Amara replied, a modest reply.

"Yet to achieve the rank of Pride is exceptional, I'm sure if you continued your work at Clock tower you could have achieved the rank of Grand." Olga said.

"Perhaps, but I completed my studies and was called back home." Amara stated.

"Called Home you say?" Olga inquired.

"Yes, once you finish your magic studies you're expected to come back home." Amara replied. "That's when your work really begins in the Iselma family. You're expected to spend your life perfecting yourself and preparing for the next generation of Iselmas." Amara explained.

"I see, so not that different from most mage families in regards to work." Olga said. "So then, why are you here instead of back home?" Olga asked.

"Because I no longer believe in the Islema Family ideals" Amara replied.

"I take it that's why you're no longer the Heir to the Family?" Olga stated.

"That's more or less the reason, but I'd rather not talk about it." Amara answered.

"Okay then, I won't press the issue any further." Olga said. "So then why did you choose to work at Chaldea?" Olga asked next.

"Chaldea Security Organization offers talented mages an opportunity to do a lot of good in the world without the petty power struggles of the Clock Tower." Amara replied. "It's one of the few places where you can observe and research the magical and scientific aspects of the world in the name of safeguarding humanity, but it also offers a place where Magi can contribute their strength to protect people. I want to be part of something like that!" Amara said and Olga paused for a moment.

"You don't have much experience I see, other than working in a cafe." Olga stated.

"I know that I may be inexperienced." Amara said. "But I'm a fast learner more than willing to do whatever it takes!" Amara exclaimed passionately and Olga retreated into her chair for a moment. "While I may not believe in my families ideals anymore, an Isemla never settles for less than perfection!" Amara added, which left Olga to pause for a few moments.

"... Tell me, why are you so determined to be a soldier when there are so many other things you could do?" Olga asked and Amara was seemingly taken aback.

"W-Well I've been in my family's shadow for so long that I was starting to lose sight of who I am as an individual." Amara said. "I don't want to live in my family's shadow, let alone that of my fathers. I want to carve out my own path and make my own choices in life, not have them made for me." Amara stated. "I want to be myself, to make a name for myself, and reach the root in my own way. I want to be a free individual who makes her own choices, and that includes bearing the consequences for any choices I might make." Amara explained. "I want to fight and improve myself physically and mentally while helping others, and becoming a soldier is the best way to do that I feel." Amara reaffirmed. Olga tapped her fingers together as she spun around in her chair, leaving both myself and Amara in suspense. It was only a few moments later before we would have our response.

"…Well that makes two of us then." Olga eventually let out a sigh. "I must admit that I am also new at this whole directing thing, so I don't have a lot of experience either…" Olga admitted, which took me by surprise. "So I might as well take in a newbie like you, so that way we can face whatever mistakes we make together. Chaldea never had a large security force under my Father, so I have to start somewhere I guess." Olga added at the same time.

"Thank you Director! I promise I won't let you down!" Amara exclaimed with raised fist.

"Please just call me Olga." Olga said.

"A-Ah of course, Olga." Amara said which caused Olga to chuckle.

"I think you and I will get along just fine Amara. Together we'll break out of the shadow of our Fathers and carve out our own destinies!" Olga said.

"Yes! I look forward to it!" Amara said with a nod of her head. As they finished their discussion suddenly everything went white and my vision blurred.

Lowering my hand from my face I found myself standing in the white void once more and I looked around to see who would be waiting for me this time.

"Carve out your destinies together? Ha!" A familiar voice from earlier mocked. I looked around desperately for where Amara's father was this time. "You really thought that the two of you could make any difference in the world? Such grand ideas or notions are mere fantasies befitting of children." Amara's father stated and he was really starting to tick me off. What right does he have to tell Amara that her dreams were childish? "Nothing you do will ever change Fate my dear Amara, you'll disappear never amounting to anything." Amara's father mocked and my hand curled into a fist.

I opened my mouth preparing to tell him to shut the hell up, but then I felt a sharp pain in my neck. My hands instinctively went to my throat and my fingers were met by something wet and sticky coming from my throat. I lowered my hand from my throat where I found my fingertips glazed with blood. Eyes widening in disbelief at the sight of my blood I soon felt as blood began to stream down my neck. My hand shot back up to my throat, gripping it tightly as I tried to stop the bleeding, but my hand became soaked after only a few moments. Soon I felt a cold sensation around my lips and with my free hand I checked my mouth to find a sticky liquid coming out of my mouth, lowering my hand I found more blood sticking to my finger. With blood now leaking from my mouth I felt something coming up my throat, and it didn't take long before I began to cough up blood. The blood hit the ground as if I had splashed paint against a mural, given the white nature of everything around me. I put my hand over my mouth trying to stop myself from coughing up any more blood, but the blood only slipped through my fingers.

Not able to bear it anymore I fell to my knees where I proceeded to violently cough up more blood. As I felt the life drain from me more and more blood slipped through my fingers I heard a peculiar laugh coming from a man, it wasn't that of Amara's Father, but it was mocking my struggle all the same. Damn it! I can't die just yet, I have to find the man behind that laugh and stop him! I tried to get up, but it was to no avail and I only ended up hitting the ground with a loud thud, falling into my blood that had gathered on the ground. I slowly looked up from the ground still holding my throat, where I found a pair of black boots standing in front of me. Trying to look up to see the man behind the boots was to no avail as I barely had enough strength left in me to keep my eyes open, so instead I reached out with my hand to try and grab the bastard. That too was to no avail as my energy left me just as the boots were within reach of my fingertips, only to wind up falling back down. "Nobody will save you this time Amara; you're all alone as you always have been." The voice mocked my futile struggles; however it wasn't the voice of Amara's father this time. My eyesight was now failing me as I struggled to keep them open, however my struggle was futile and soon I was taken by death...

My eyes snapped awake and I shot up in bed, my hands going to my neck as I breathed in and out heavily. I could feel my clothes sticking to my body as I was drenched from head to toe in sweat. Realizing that I was no longer dreaming, my hand went up to my face and a groan escaped my lips.

"Did you have a nightmare?" I heard Scathach ask. I looked over to my side to see her crimson eyes staring back at me while her hands rested calmly on her chest.

"...Maybe…. Why? Were you concerned about me?" I asked after a moment.

"No, not really." Scathach replied. "But it makes it hard to sleep when you're thrashing about." Scathach said as she faced forward.

"Well sorry. I had a bad dream, that's all." I replied running my hand through my hair.

"Doesn't matter anyway, it's already seven." Scathach said as she pulled back the sheets before sitting up. I watched her back as she stood up and made her way towards the dresser where she opened one of the drawers to slip into a fresh pair of clothes. Scathach had taken a shower last night and changed out of her gym clothes into a pair of pajamas I had gotten Mashu and her for Christmas. I had wanted to ask Scathach some questions to see if she could have maybe made some sense out of my weird dream, but before I could say or do anything there was a knock at the door…

The door slid open and I was greeted by a familiar face as she stood in the doorway wearing her usual attire. Upon seeing me her face lit up in delight and she smiled her usual warm smile that I was accustomed too.

"Kyuu, kyaau!" Something cried out and I looked down to see Four standing by our feet.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well Senpai?" Mashu asked.

"No, not really Mashu." I replied as I reached up and rubbed my face.

"Oh? Why is that?" Mashu inquired as she tilted her head. "You should try and get rest whenever possible." Mashu said.

"Foou, foou!" Four exclaimed and the both of us looked down at him.

"As you can see, Four-san is full of energy. Probably from a great sleep and breakfast." Mashu said gesturing her hand at Four as she looked back up at me. "Therefore if you have the chance you should get some proper sleep. No staying up late." Mashu lectured me as she wagged her finger. "Physical and magical power are somewhat tied together ya know!" Mashu added.

"It wasn't from a lack of trying Mashu, trust me." I said as I proceeded to rub my eyes. "It was more due to the dreams I was having." I explained.

"A dream you say?" Mashu inquired. "What kind of dream?"

"Well it was really more of a nightmare you could say." I replied and I saw a flash of worry go across Mashu's face.

"I know that yesterday was rough with the rogue Assassin and killings, but you shouldn't let it affect you negatively Senpai." Mashu said. "We've got the singularity ahead of us, and we'll all be counting on you!" Mashu exclaimed trying to reassure me, but instead it felt like more weight had been added to my shoulders.

"Eh heh…. Yeah…" I murmured and Mashu seemingly saw the error in what she had said earlier and waved her hands frantically in front of herself.

"W-What I meant to say is that I'll be there to support you as well to the best of my abilities…!" Mashu exclaimed before I reached out and proceeded to pat her on the head.

"I know what you meant, Thanks Mashu." I said as I affectionately rubbed her head, giving her a smile. Mashu returned my warm smile looking up at me as I did so, before my hand eventually returned to my side.

"Well then Senpai, shall we go and get breakfa…." Mashu said just before the sounds of footsteps was heard from behind me. I hardly needed to guess who it was, since it could be none other than Scathach. "O-Oh Scathach, you're here as well." Mashu said and I looked over my shoulder to see her standing behind me dressed in a white and black sports jacket, a pair of knee high black boots, and underneath her boots were a set of tight black pants. Upon seeing Mashu she crossed her arms and met her with the usual blank stare.

"Where else would I be?" Scathach replied.

"R-Right. I forgot that you do sleep with Senpai after all." Mashu said. I had to keep myself from spitting right then and there by proceeding to cough instead. Even then I still felt Scathach's gaze burning into the side of my skull before it eventually left me and landed on Mashu.

"... It would be more proper to say I'm stuck bunking with him." Scathach said sternly.

"O-Oh, My apologies." Mashu said bowing her head. I wasn't sure if Mashu was fully aware of what she had said earlier, but I wasn't going to ask.

"...Well anyways, you were saying Mashu?" I asked and Mashu's head shot up.

"Ah yes. I was about to ask if you if you would like to accompany me to the cafeteria for breakfast?" Mashu asked. "And since Scathach is here as well, we can all go together. Jeanne should be already be there waiting for us." Mashu suggested. I was about to say sure, until I looked down at what I was wearing. I was still wearing my sweat soaked t-shirt and pj bottoms that I had slept in.

"I'd love to Mashu, but I just woke up and I still need to change into a fresh pair of clothes." I said jerking my thumb backwards into my room.

"That's fine; I can wait for you Senpai." Mashu chimed.

"I mean, are you sure? It's going to take a while." I said and Mashu nodded her head.

"I don't mind waiting!" Mashu replied.

"Alright then I'll be out in a f..." I said turning as I prepared to head into my room, but stopped short as I saw Mashu preparing to follow me. I placed my hand on her shoulder stopping her before she went any further and Mashu's head shot up in surprise. "You should stay out here with Scathach while I go shower…." I said and Mashu tilted her head still not understanding... "... and change my clothes." I added and that seemed to send the message.

"O-OH!" Mashu said, her face turning a bit red as she flustered. "I'm sorry Senpai." Mashu said bowing her head.

"It's fine Mashu, don't worry about it." I said giving her head a light pat. "Just stay out here, and I'll be out in ten minutes or less." I said before turning around and heading back inside. Scathach brushed past me as she exited out into the hallway, the door shutting behind her leaving me to the darkness of my room…

I buttoned up my collar as I finished getting dressed after a quick shower and shave. With my collar buttoned up all the way, I pulled my tie around my neck and proceeded with the usual tie tying ritual. After the ritual was completed I pulled the knot up on my tie and proceeded to straighten it out. Once that was done I buttoned up my cuffs before I reached down and pulled open one of the drawers to my closet. Inside I found my vest which I lifted from its case and looked over. Luckily I hadn't gotten shot up or stabbed in the last singularity so my vest was still usable, however I did wonder if perhaps I should switch over to a carrier rig so I didn't have to always carry my magazines in my jacket pockets. Although my current vest was less burdensome and easily concealed underneath my jacket, the same could not be said for a carrier rig. It was something I'd have to think over at another time however, for now the vest I had offered ample protection. With that in mind I pulled the vest over my head and down to my waistline, which was as far as it would go. After I had made sure that my vest was secure I made my way over to my nightstand where I pulled open one of my drawers and found my handgun and shoulder holster waiting for me. I pulled my holster over my shoulders, making sure it was fastened correctly, before reaching down into my drawer and pulling my handgun out. Pushing the safety down, I pulled the slide back a little to find a bullet already loaded into the chamber. Letting the slide snap back shut, I pushed the safety back up. I tucked the pistol into its holster before picking up a pair of spare magazines out from the drawer and slid them into a pair of ammo pouches located underneath my other armpit. All that was left to do now was slip into my suit jacket and a pair of boots and I'd be set to go. In a few short steps I reached the closest and grabbed a suit jacket from inside. As I finished slipping into my jacket, I began buttoning up until the last button was in place. Once that was done I straightened out my cuffs and any creases in my suit jacket before I took a seat at my desk. Now all that was left to do was slip into a pair of my combat boots...

"There, finally finished." I said sitting up straight once more as I had finished tying my shoelaces. Now that I was ready to go, I stood up and made my way over to door where I stopped and looked back for a moment. I wouldn't be seeing my comfy bed for a while, so it was best to take it all in before I was thrown into whatever hellhole Chaldea planned on sending me too…

After a moment I turned and faced the door where I reached out and pressed a button on the panel. The door swooshed open and I was greeted by Scathach and Mashu who were still there waiting for me. I found Scathach with her arms crossed against her chest seeming bored, or perhaps she was always bored. It was hard to tell these days with her, however upon seeing me; she narrowed her eyes in response. Unlike Mashu who was radiating with kindness as she smiled brightly upon seeing me in comparison.

"Finally you're out, what took you so long?" Scathach said as the door shut behind me. "Usually they say women take long getting dressed, but you put most women to shame." Scathach mocked.

"HarHar." I scoffed at her before turning my attention to Mashu. "Shall we be on our way then, Mashu?" I inquired and Mashu nodded her head eagerly.

"Yes, let's!" Mashu exclaimed and with that we set off down the hall.

After our action packed stroll through the numerous checkpoint stops, we eventually reached the cafeteria where we came to a stop at the edge and looked around. It was only when we saw Jeanne waving us over that we finally found her and proceeded to make our way over towards her. As we made our way over to her I spotted a cute woman with blonde hair sporting a lab coat with a pair of glasses on, whom was seen talking to Jeanne. Before we arrived however the blonde haired woman gave Jeanne a wave goodbye before she departed, heading for what I assumed was the science wing.

"Good morning Christopher!" Jeanne greeted me. I watched the blonde haired woman walk off before returning my gaze to Jeanne.

"Who was that Jeanne? Your girlfriend perhaps?" I asked cheekily. Jeanne's cheeks turned rosy in response as she flustered.

"Wh-What? A...A girlfriend!" Jeanne stammered. "No don't be ridiculous! That was my friend that I was telling you about!" Jeanne exclaimed and I chuckled.

"Relax Jeanne, I was only joking." I said raising my hands up to try and calm her down. Jeanne furrowed her eyebrows and frowned a little in response to my teasing.

"Why must you tease me like that, and so early in the morning?" Jeanne exclaimed raising her fist.

"Sorry Jeanne, I can't help it. You're just so fun to tease." I replied. This caused Jeanne to let out a moan in frustration as she collapsed onto the table.

"Good morning Jeanne!" Mashu greeted Jeanne with a wave.

"Good morning Mashu…" Jeanne replied as she turned her cheek, looking up at Mashu. I then watched as her eyes drifted over towards Scathach who was standing on my left. "Lancer." Jeanne murmured.

"Blondie." Scathach replied.

"You two are still as friendly as ever I see." I said as I pulled a seat out from underneath the table. "I can't wait for the next singularity to see how your wonderful friendship unfolds." I said scooting forward. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Scathach take a seat next to me, saying nothing in reply, but instead choosing to close her eyes in response. Out of my other eye I saw Jeanne furrow her eyebrows and frown once more.

"Speaking of the next singularity, do you know where it will be taking place?" Mashu asked me.

"I have no idea, truth be told." I replied. "The Director didn't tell me anything other than we were leyshifting there today, but given our past two singularities, I wouldn't hold out for any tropical paradise." I said, although I personally would just like to go somewhere with cooler climates.

"So about last night….." Jeanne murmured as she sat up straight. "Was there really an Assassin on base last night, and did they really kill the supposed traitor?" Jeanne inquired and I nodded my head.

"Yeah, the rumors are true I'm afraid…" I replied.

"How did an Assassin servant even get on base?" Jeanne asked next.

"I don't know." I answered shaking my head.

"Is it true that Amara was killed…?" Mashu inquired and I nodded my head soberly. "I had heard rumors that she had been killed, but I didn't know for certain. Neither Roman or the Director told me much of anything…" Mashu said before trailing off.

"It's true that Amara was killed by Assassin, she was Assassin's primary target." I said which prompted Mashu to let out a gasp.

"Amara is dead!" Jeanne gasped as her hands went up to her mouth. That's right I had told Jeanne about Amara's treachery when I had come back to Chaldea. "But that means…."

"Yes, that means she wasn't working alone." I said finishing Jeanne's sentence for her. "And it looks like her partner killed her to try and keep her from spilling what she knew." I explained.

"Do we know who it is?" Jeanne asked and I felt my grip tighten on my hands. I desperately wanted to say who I thought it was, but I knew that I shouldn't. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jeanne eyes filled with concern, and I loosened my grip on my hands while trying to calm myself.

"Ah No, I'm afraid not." I replied. "Amara didn't manage to tell me who it was before she passed." I said.

"You spoke with Amara?" Jeanne inquired.

"Yeah, I managed to save her, although be it for a brief time." I replied. "She wound up dying anyways, from blood loss according to Doctor Roman." I explained.

"I see, so we're back to square one." Jeanne said with a frown, this time it was her turn to grip her hands tightly. "Even though she was the one who betrayed the Organization, I feel sorry for her. To end up being betrayed by your own partner and killed in the end is a horrible way to die…" Jeanne murmured softly. The table fell into silence upon hearing her say that, as I think some of us might be conflicted. I don't know what Scathach or Mashu were thinking, but I certainly felt some sympathy for Amara. She met a tragic end at the hands of her own partner, after being deceived by them for the power of the grail. When all she had been attempting to do, was rescue her sister and mother from her Father.

"I feel like I've been left out of the loop on all this Senpai…" Mashu was the one to break the silence as she murmured looking up at me.

"That's right, Mashu. I forgot that no one has bothered to clue you in on what's going on. I'm sorry." I said.

"No, it's alright Senpai." Mashu said shaking her head. "I had gathered bits and pieces, but I don't know the whole story…" Mashu said.

"Well I'll explain things, but first let's get some breakfast." I said.

"Right, we probably should get breakfast before we forget." Mashu said chuckling.

"Especially since it's also a bit of a long story." I said as I pushed myself up out of my chair. With that said the four of us stood up from our table and went over to get breakfast and coffee…

"So Amara was the one who stole from Chaldea all these years ago?" Mashu asked as we walked down the hall after having finished breakfast. "And you say that she stole….. A Holy Grail!" Mashu exclaimed.

"Yeah, Amara stole a Holy grail from Chaldea's possession." I said nodding my head.

"Wow! I never knew we had a Holy Grail." Mashu said, sounding shocked. I wasn't surprised that Mashu hadn't known about the grail, but that only reaffirmed the theory that nobody had known about its existence except for Amara and her partner.

"Neither did I up until a few months ago." I said in all honesty.

"How do you suppose Chaldea came into possession of a grail, Chris?" Jeanne asked and I was left

"I'm afraid I can't answer that either." I replied. "Not even the Director herself knew about its existence until I told her about it." I explained.

"What?!" Jeanne and Mashu both exclaimed, before coming to a stop in front of me.

"A-Ah!" I exclaimed raising my hands out in front of me.

"What do you mean not even the Director herself knew about it?" Mashu exclaimed.

"How could she possibly not know about something so powerful in her organization's possession?" Jeanne also exclaimed. The two of them were more shocked by this news than I had been it seemed.

"It's exactly as I said, Olga didn't know about the grail in Chaldea's possession." I replied. "She was just as surprised as you were when I told her about it." I said.

"That just doesn't make any sense; she is the Director after all. Isn't she?" Jeanne mused as she cupped her chin.

"...Maybe it was during the previous Director's time?" Mashu suggested.

"That's what I was thinking too Mashu." I said nodding my head. "But that's a mystery that'll have to wait for another time, as we shouldn't keep the Director any longer." I said.

"R-Right." Mashu and Jeanne nodded their heads in agreement.

With that we set back off down the hall where we eventually reached the entrance to the Chaldea Command center in a matter of minutes. Once there we presented our security badges to the guards at the gate, they let us through. The doors to the command center swept open and we were greeted by a buzz of activity as technicians and scientist scurried back and forth between their work stations. Located in the middle of the command center the Director, Doctor Roman, and Doctor Da Vinci were found gathered around the circular command table. The four of us proceeded to make our way over to them where we greeted promptly by Roman.

"Ah Good Morning Christopher, Lancer, Jeanne, Mashu." Roman greeted us with a wave of his hand. I noticed bags under the Doctor's eyes as he had no doubt spent all night working on those autopsy reports. I doubt he had gotten few if any hours of sleep before coming here.

"Good Morning Roman, Director..." I said and felt a particular gaze burning into my flesh... "... and Doctor Da Vinci." I added.

"Yes, Yes. Good morning Operatives." Olga said with a wave of her hand as we gathered around the room. "As I was saying, now that the four of you are here…" Olga said before being cut off.

"Fuwaaa….. Mornin!" Doctor Da Vinci exclaimed cheerfully shooting her fist into the air, and I saw a vein pop on the back of the Director's head. "The data we recovered from the last singularity has finally finished being analyzed in the engineering lab." Doctor Da Vinci said before being promptly smacked upside the head by the Director which caused a prompt oomph!

"I would sure hope so, as it's been almost a year now." I said tucking my hands into my pockets.

"Yes, though it's just me and this sleepy genius doing most of the hard work." Roman said as he proceeded to take a sip from his coffee mug.

If anyone was the sleepy one though, I'd say it would have to be Roman. "So please look through the observation reports although they may be a little off." Roman said as he handed us copies of the paperwork to look over. "The leyshift preparations are ready… and it looks like this time you'll be heading to first century Europe." Roman explained as we looked over the data. "More specifically, ancient Rome. Near Italy's peninsula, the Mediterranean Sea of the Great Roman Empire." Roman added which was met with mixed reactions from the various members.

"At least it's not a Desert this time…" I murmured as my eyes scanned the paperwork.

"Hmm, Ancient Rome? Really? Whhhatttt, that sounds like a lot of fun!" Doctor Da Vinci exclaimed. "Hey I want to go too~!" Doctor Da Vinci begged.

"Absolutely not, under no circumstances are you allowed to leave Chaldea." Olga ordered slicing her hand through the air, much to Doctor Da Vinci's disappointment.

"Awe, you're always such a buzzkill Director…" Doctor Da Vinci murmured.

"The Director is right and besides, you have a bunch of analysis work to do don't you?" Roman said. "Enjoy the pleasures of Rome another time!

"Mu~~. Too bad." Doctor Da Vinci pouted. "I wanted a chance to talk with the Roman emperor." Doctor Da Vinci stated. "Particularly Emperor Caligula or Emperor Nero. I'm sure we would share similar hobbies." Doctor Da Vinci stated which caused my eyes to roll a little.

"A Roman emperor…" Jeanne murmured.

"Emperor Nero…" I heard Mashu murmur from my other side.

"Yes, I agree…." Roman said before he ended up shaking his head. "Wait No, it's pointless. You need to continue helping Chaldea elsewhere." Roman said.

"If you two are done fantasizing, we have work to do." Olga said scolding the both of them, which caused Roman and Doctor Da Vinci to bow their head. "Well then are you guys ready? Transition point is set at the imperial Roman capital." Olga asked as she turned facing us.

"Yes we're ready to go Director. I just need to go grab the rest of my gear." I answered.

"Alright, but don't take too long. I want to get you sent on your way." Olga said with a nod of her head.

"Now then the Roman capital's name is Rome. Like last time, teleportation is approximate so please don't worry." Roman explained.

"I know what the Roman Capital is called Roman…" I said as I crossed my arms.

"R-Right of course, this is an alternative timeline of our own so it may be different than what we expect." Roman said, which was more or less true.

"Like last time, we don't know where the Holy Grail is located so you'll have to investigate to uncover its location." Olga explained. "As always your actions will only affect that timeline so don't worry too much about what you do." Olga added. So we sack Rome with no problems? Something tells me that wasn't the case however as the Director narrowed her eyes at me disapprovingly.

"No problem. Either way, we'll find the culprit." Mashu exclaimed determinedly.

"Great, that's the spirit. As always you're so reliable Mashu!" Roman said.

"It'll be the same exact plan as last time, investigate the singularity and correct it." Olga explained. "Search, investigate, and either destroy or seize the Holy Grail." Olga directed us.

"Understood Director, although I doubt it'll be that easy." I said.

"It usually never is, but that's why we're sending you and your team." Olga answered with a nod of her head. "I'm sure you'll muddle through it just like you did last time." Olga added.

"Thanks Director…" I murmured.

"Well The survival of human history is on your shoulders. So I hope for your success." Roman said. Thanks Roman, that's certainly not a weight on all of our shoulders. "And also for your safe return home." Roman added.

"I'll also be hoping for your success Operatives as well, the mission success relies on you." Olga said nodding her head in agreement. "And I'll be praying for your safe return home as well…" Olga added.

"Thank you Director." I said nodding my head. "We'll do our best not to disappoint you." I added and Olga nodded her head in reply.

"Yes. We will definitely return home to Chaldea." Mashu affirmed. "… I'll be taking your lead, Senpai. The success of this plan relies on your strength, Senpai." Mashu said looking up at me. I looked down at Mashu who was smiling brightly up at me. This caused me to chuckle a little, which caused Mashu to tilt her head.

"Rather we'll be counting on your strength to protect us." I said as I reached out and patted Mashu on the head. Mashu's face reddened a little in response at my words.

"No, that's not true…." Mashu murmured shaking her head embarrassed. "Actually, Senpai's sound judgment and tactical mindset will be the key to our success." Mashu said, trying to downplay her own importance.

"Come now Mashu, it's a team effort." I said. "Jeanne, Lancer, and I will be counting on you to have our backs as we cut through our enemies. A Strong offense is nothing without a strong defense." I said. Mashu furrowed her eyebrows a little, still seemingly struggling at taking compliments.

"Speaking of enemies, there will definitely be summoned servants in first century Rome." Roman chimed in.

"Perfect!" I said clapping my hands together. "We wouldn't want to make things too easy now would we?" I said jokingly which was met with mixed responses.

"If at all possible, try to borrow their powers." Olga said. "Unless of course, they are hostile. Then eliminate them downright." Olga instructed and I nodded my head.

"Doctor, a question if I may?" Mashu inquired, and Roman turned to face her.

"Sure Mashu, go ahead." Roman said nodding his head.

"Hostile servants and neutral servants. Are you able to determine whether they are friendly right now?" Mashu inquired. Roman seemed to ponder her question for a moment before answering.

"It depends on how clear are sensors are." Roman replied as he reached down and tapped a few buttons on the console of the command table. A Hologram appeared and hovered over the table showing a bunch of charts and numbers, there was also what looked like a sonar radar. "Approaching life forms can be sensed, but I'm not sure if they are friendly..." Roman said and after a while he shook his head. "No, I'm sorry Mashu. There is currently no way to determine friend or foe. Even using Shiva and Trismegistus, the best we can do is sense biological and magical power." Roman explained. "Enemy or not. We can sense spirits not part of the timeline, but it's impossible to determine what kind of spirit they are." Roman said which left Mashu looking gloomy. "However, we may be able to infer from any information we can get…" Roman said trying to cheer her up.

"...No, Doctor. I'm sorry for asking for something so unreasonable." Mashu said shaking her head. "I know it was an impossible request. But, even so…" Mashu murmured.

"Then it seems like we'll just have to assume everyone is an enemy as per usual!" I said smashing my hand into my fist.

"No tha…" Mashu murmured.

"Right, it's always safe to assume everyone in the Singularities is hostile until proven otherwise." Olga said nodding her head. "Anything less than that would be foolish." Olga added.

"Agreed." I said and then I saw out of the corner of my eye Mashu was looking at me with a gloomy expression. "Oh were you gonna say something Mashu?" I asked. Mashu looked away from me, which took me by surprise.

"N-No, it's nothing." Mashu said shaking her head. "It was just a foolish request on my part, forget I said anything." Mashu murmured.

"... Alright, if you say so Mashu." I said redirecting my attention towards the Director and Doctor.

"I'm sorry. I understand we're asking a lot from you but…" Roman trailed off. "…But I promise you with all the power that I have, I will support you all as much I can." Roman said looking up with a determined expression.

"Likewise I will support you to the best of my abilities. Providing you with guidance and instructions when necessary, you'll have the full backing of Chaldea per usual." Olga said as she placed her hands on her hips. "Of course if you want supplies from Chaldea, you'll need to establish a connection on a leyline first."

"I remember Director, we'll be sure to prioritize establishing a connection with the leyline." I said with a nod of my head.

"Good, if there's nothing else I think we're ready." Olga said glancing at Roman and Doctor Da Vinci.

"There is nothing else I can think of Director."

"I have nothing else to add Director, other than to wish our Operatives luck." Doctor Da Vinci said turning to us. "... And be sure to bring back lots of pictures." Doctor Da Vinci added with a wink.

"Yeah maybe we'll find the future site of your workshop." I said jokingly.

"Ooohhhh that would be really incredible!" Doctor Da Vinci exclaimed with sparkles in her eyes. She then proceeded to turn to the Director and beg this time with puppy dog eyes. "P-P-Please Director, Pretty please may I go with them!"

"No!" Olga snapped as she grabbed Da Vinci by the face and pushed her down to her knees.

"Uwaaa!" Doctor Da Vinci cried out as she grasped Olga's hand that gripped her face. This struggle continued for a few more moments and we all watched them fight, which was entertaining. I couldn't speak for the others, but it was amusing for me to watch.

"You have work to do! So I suggest you get to it." Olga said as she threw Da Vinci off after a moment. Da Vinci let out a whimper in response as she stood up where she dusted off her lab coat before proceeding to head to her workstation followed by the Director's burning gaze. "Ahem now then…" Olga said clearing her throat. "Head on down to the Core room and prepare to leyshift." Olga instructed us.

"Yes Ma'am, we'll be there as soon as I get my gear from the armory." I replied.

"Understood, but don't take too long." Olga said with a nod of her head.

"Right, it should only take a few minutes to get my equipment from the armory." I said giving a salute. "If there's nothing else, we'll be on our way." I added before I swung around and headed towards the exit. Behind me I heard the footsteps of Jeanne, Mashu, and Scathach as they followed in toe…

Walking down the hall we eventually reached Chaldea's armory where I headed inside leaving the others to wait for me in the doorway. I came to a stop at the counter where I rested my arms and tried to peer inside to see if anyone was home. I couldn't see any movement about the armory so I thought perhaps he wasn't in right now, but before I knew it a familiar scruffy looking fellow appeared from my left.

"Were you looking for someone?" Eisenhart asked with an amused expression.

"Yeah I'm looking for an expert gunsmith and quartermaster, have you seen him?" I asked.

"Oomph! That hits me right where I live." Eisenhart said hitting his fist against his chest. "I guess I'll have to go find your expert gunsmith for you since he's not here." Eisenhart said before disappearing behind the wall back into the Armory.

"While you're at it, can you find one who's prettier to look at also?" I called out as I leaned forward, which earned me a hearty laugh.

"Oof! Now you're really just laying it on a poor old man." Eisenhart said reappearing behind the counter. "Your tongue is getting sharper in your old age Christopher, maybe one day you might even live up to Raelin." Eisenhart chuckled.

"I don't think anyone will ever be able to live up to her level of wit." I replied with a bit of a smile. There was a momentary pause as we stood there in silence thinking about Raelin's witty remarks.

"...So then, I hear that you're going on another adventure." Eisenhart said as he leaned forward on the counter.

"Adventure is a funny way to put it." I said with a chuckle. "But I would akin it to something more along the lines of a paid field trip."

"I see... so what can I get for this paid field trip of yours." Eisenhart inquired.

"I don't know exactly what I'll be facing this time around, but I'd like something with stopping power and range." I said scratching my head. "Preferably something to keep my enemies at a distance this time around, last time I had a few too many close calls." I explained as Eisenhart stroked his beard.

"If that's the case, you're not gonna want a submachine gun this time around." Eisenhart said turning his back to me. Eisenhart would disappear once more into the armory heading down one of the many aisles into the back. A few moments later he would reappear at the counter placing a black rifle down in front of me.

"The M4 should meet your needs for any combat situation." Eisenhart said crossing his arms. "She's equipped with a Holo sight, fore grip, and she's got an extending stock." Eisenhart explained. I proceeded to shoulder the rifle taking aim towards the corner of the room to look down the Holo sights. Looking down the sights I saw the red circle appear as I lined things up. I readjusted the stock to meet my shoulder and got a feel for the gun as I found the safety, magazine release, and pulled the bolt back.

"She should serve my needs in this mission and probably future missions." I said lowering the rifle back down to a resting position.

"She'll take good care of you, so long as you take care of her." Eisenhart said with a nod of his head. "You'll be needing these of course." Eisenhart added before ducking underneath the counter and reappearing a moment later. He placed six black magazines filled to the brim with pointy 5.56 rounds, down in front of me. "These should be enough for the time being, if you need more you can let the Director know and I'll have more sent your way." Eisenhart instructed and I nodded my head in return.

"You can never have enough ammo so I'm sure I'll be needing more sooner or later." I said as I took the magazines and slid them into my various pockets. Eisenhart had also placed some 1911 magazines out and I took those as well.

"Will you also be needing something more on the heavy side…?" Eisenhart said leaning forward and I tilted my head. "Like a rocket launcher?"

"Oh um, I don't know to be honest." I replied. "Who knows if I'll be running into dragons this time around…" I explained before being cut off.

"Did you say Dragons?" Eisenhart inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah." I replied. "I had to fight fucking dragons last time around, and I'm really not keen on doing it again!" I said.

"Good Lord, I hope they're paying you hazard pay." Eisenhart murmured.

"I get hazard pay for each day I'm in the Singularity, so it's not without its benefits I guess." I replied as I smacked a fresh magazine into the M4. "...Anyway I don't think I'll be needing any rocket launchers this early into the operation, but if I do need one I'll be sure to let the Director know." I said.

"I'll have one standing by for you, just in case." Eisenhart said with a nod.

"I don't suppose I can get a launcher with heat seeking missiles this time?" I asked.

"We don't have many of those, and they'd require the Directors sign off." Eisenhart said shaking his head in response.

"Well it was worth a shot." I said with a sigh. "...Well whatever. I best get going Eisenhart; I wouldn't want to keep the Director waiting." I said as I slung the M4 over my shoulder. "Who knows when I might wind up seeing you again, if at all?"

"You take care now Chris, I wouldn't want to lose you too." Eisenhart said earnestly. "But judging the team you've assembled thus far, I'm sure you'll be fine." Eisenhart pointed out and I looked over my shoulder to see Jeanne, Mashu, and Scathach waiting outside the armory for me.

"Yeah you're probably right..." I murmured as I turned back to Eisenhart. "I'll see you whenever I get back from the hell that no doubt this mission will devolve into." I said. This earned me a chuckle in response from Eisenhart.

"Like I said, if you take care of that gun it'll take care of you." Eisenhart said giving me some final words. "Even when no one else will."

"Thanks Eisenhart, I will." I nodded my head. "You take care of yourself." I added with a wave of my hand before turning my back to him. I walked out of the armory up to the girls where I was promptly greeted on return.

"Are you all set now Chris?" Jeanne asked me as I came to a stop in front of the group. I looked over my shoulder giving one last look at Eisenhart before turning my attention back towards Jeanne.

"...Yeah let's go." I said with a nod of my head before setting off down the hall. Behind me I heard the rest of the group fall in behind me as we set off towards the core room.

Before we knew it we were outside the doors leading to Chaldea, the core room. Having reached our destination, Jeanne and Mashu took this opportunity to change into their armor. Well I say change, but it was more like a flash of light and before I knew it they were fully dressed in armor with their weapons in hand. Jeanne was dawned in her shining knight armor with her sword sheathed, while Mashu had on her black armor and shield in one hand. Scathach on the other hand had opted not to change into her outfit at this time for whatever reason. Not like it really matter either way, Scathach had no armor to speak of, except for the shoulder plating, but what good did those do her? Once the girls had changed we headed on inside, where we were promptly greeted upon entry.

"Good you're finally here." Olga called out over the intercom. "Let's not waste any more time and send you on your way." Olga said. "Doctor Roman!"

"Understood Director." Roman replied. "Is everybody ready?" Roman then asked us.

"Ready." The four of us replied in unison.

"Thank you. That was a good response….." Roman said. "Well then, Papa shall start the leyshift!" Roman exclaimed and we all went silent for a moment.

"Doctor Roman…" Mashu murmured.

"What the hell did you just say, Doctor?" Olga asked.

"Umm well uh, I said Papa." Roman replied, perhaps realizing how stupid he had just sounded.

"Romani, you idiot." Olga stated.

"...Stop with this awkward atmosphere already!" Roman exclaimed. "A-Anyway, I'll be supporting you all from the back!" Roman added.

"No, that's…. suddenly too much tension…." Mashu murmured.

"Beginning Leyshift!" Roman said before anymore awkwardness could ensue. I turned my attention towards Chaldea's core which was still glowing a bright orange just like last time, and I doubt it would be changing back to blue anytime soon. Not until we completed the last singularity at least.

"Unsummoning program initiated." The automated voice from before announced. "Ley shifting beginning in 3…" As the leyshift process began I felt a cold hand grip my own and I looked down to see Mashu's hand gripping it tightly.

"Chris?" Jeanne asked from my side and I turned to meet her.

"Yeah?" I said.

"2..." The automated voice counted down.

"What are we gonna do once we leyshift?" Jeanne asked as she brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Well assuming Roman doesn't drop us into a group of enemies…." I said. "First thing first is securing our drop site and make sure it's clear of any enemies. Once that's done, we'll analyze our surroundings." I yelled out over the sounds of the machines humming.

"Got it!" Jeanne said with a nod of her head. Jeanne rested her hand on the hilt of her sword as she prepared herself.

"1..." The automated voice finished the countdown. With the countdown complete we prepared to be leyshifted back in time once more, this time there were four of us so hopefully it would go better than last time. Whatever we face in this next singularity, we would face it together this time.

"Operation completed. Beginning Grand Order." The announcer said just before everything went black.

* * *

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	24. Chapter Twenty Four Septem

**Chapter Twenty Four**

**Septem**

* * *

What had felt like almost an eternity, I finally found my feet touching solid ground. Once my eyes had opened I was greeted by lush rolling hills sprawling with green grass. The hills stretched as far as the human eye could see, the plains were dotted with flowers and trees. I took a deep breath and my nostrils were filled with the smell of the briny seawater that was directly ahead of me. I spotted seagulls soaring high in the sky above the ocean. It was a cloudless day today and it seemed as if the sun was shining. So this was ancient Italy it would seem…

Just then I heard someone beside me breathe in deeply. "Ahh. It seems like another successful leyshift this time, Senpai." I heard Mashu's voice ask off from my side. I faced Mashu and saw her standing besides me with her big lavender eyes staring back at me.

"It would seem so." I replied with a nod of my head.

"The bracing sea air, the smell of dirt, and the endless blue skies." Mashu said as she looked up into the sky. My gaze followed where Mashu was looking and once more I found a large eclipse staring back at me like before. "It's strange though. No matter how many times I experience this, the ground that I stand on feels so different." Mashu muttered.

"Well, ultimately it is the same ground and at the same time it is not." I said as I scratched my head curiously. "We're just standing on ground that happens to be a few hundred years younger in a parallel universe." I explained, or at least tried to explain. "Although if we were to come here in the modern day, I'm sure there probably would just be another Wal-Mart standing here." I added jokingly.

"Do they even have Wal-Marts in Italy, Senpai?" Mashu asked looking back at me.

"I don't know to be honest, I've never visited Italy." I replied as I scratched my forehead. "I'm sure there is an Italian equivalent of Wal-Mart however." I added.

"Perhaps we should visit Italy one day?" Mashu suggested.

"Perhaps we shall…" I said. "Although that feeling might change once this is all done and dusted with…" I murmured quietly under my breath.

"Hmm what did you say, Senpai?" Mashu inquired.

"Huh…? Oh Nothing. Don't worry about it." I said dismissively with a wave of my hand.

"I see..." Mashu said before returning her gaze forward. Her eyes brimmed with excitement as she looked out over the surrounding area. "I don't quite know how to describe this feeling I'm having right now…" Mashu said as she gripped her chest tightly. "I can feel my heart is beating against my chest."

"Just take a deep breath Mashu. I'm sure you'll be alright." I said as I reached over and patted her gently on the back.

"I-I have…. It's just that…." Mashu stammered before taking a moment to collect herself. Mashu's hand slid down, stopping on her stomach and proceeded to take another deep breath. "… How do I put this, all of this is just so overwhelming." Mashu finally said.

"Ah I see, that tends to happen when you're thrust into new environments." I said as I straightened my jacket out with my free hand.

"When we were in France, I was constantly on alert so I didn't have much time to think about this with one shock after another. So now it's like I'm finally able to face this landscape." Mashu explained and I couldn't help but smile a little.

"You'll get used to it soon enough Mashu." I said as I rubbed her back once more before proceeding to grip her shoulder tightly. "Everyone gets used to it eventually…" I added before taking a step forward to face our surroundings. I stood there silently for several moments, taking in the scenery before us.

"Even you Senpai?" Mashu inquired and I looked over my shoulder at her. Mashu eyed me curiously.

"Yes Mashu even me." I said lowering my head, letting out a slight chuckle. "Truth be told, I've seen more than enough of my share of Earth…" I told her which earned a chuckle from Mashu. I returned my gaze to looking back up into the sky. "…I'd much rather gaze elsewhere." I murmured quietly under my breath.

"Fuu… kyu, kyu?" Suddenly a cry was heard and I spun around on alert. At first I was confused, finding only Mashu standing there, but looking down I was greeted by a white fur ball sitting by our feet.

"Four!" Mashu exclaimed as she knelt down to pet the animal.

"That little fur ball followed us again." I said crossing my arms.

"Kyuu, kyaau!" Four replied before turning around and jumping on his usual resting spot upon Mashu's shoulders. Mashu stood up and proceeded to rub the little rascals chin.

"Four says he'll be accompanying us again this time. The outside world is much better than being inside that cramped base." Mashu said, facing me. "I can concur with that sentiment as well Four." Mashu added with a smile.

"It's not like we have much of a choice, as you say; Four goes and comes whenever he pleases." I said scratching my forehead angrily. Saying this caused Mashu to chuckle a little.

"Fighting can be scary, but it makes me happy to discover new worlds like this." Mashu said with another smile.

"Not necessarily new worlds, just old ones of our ancient history." I said as I scratched Four behind the ears.

"Quite right Senpai…" Mashu acknowledged with a nod of her head. "...But no matter the time or place, it seems wherever we go that "thing" is always there." Mashu said motioning her head to the eclipse in the sky.

"Yes, I saw it when we first arrived." I said, looking back up into the sky. "It seems to appear in every Singularity, although in Fuyuki I wasn't paying much attention to see if it was there." I added.

"This eclipse as you say Senpai, looks similar to the one we saw in France…" Mashu murmured.

"No not similar, I'd say they look exactly the same." I said as I felt my grip on my arms tighten in response.

"Yes you're right." Mashu said once more, nodding her head. "Although it seems we cannot accurately observe it from here. I wonder what it could be…?" Mashu murmured. Just then we were interrupted by a voice buzzing into our ears.

"Come in, this is Doctor Roman speaking. Can you hear me?" Roman's voice buzzed.

"Operative, Report in." Olga's voice soon followed suit.

"Yes Doctor, Director. We read you loud and clear." I said pressing my hand up to my ear. "We were just discussing the same eclipse that we saw in France, it is currently in the sky here as well…" I added before lowering my hand.

"Hmm, the eclipse from France you say?" Roman muttered. "Just like last time, it seems like we can't observe it here on our end." Roman said. "Although, it certainly is an intriguing phenomenon. I shall continue to investigate the matter." Roman added.

"While worrisome, I'm more concerned with the matters at hand." Olga butted in. "What is your status Operatives? Did everyone arrive unharmed? Are you safe?" Olga asked. It just dawned on me then that I had become completely enthralled in my conversation with Mashu that I had forgotten to check on everyone's safety. Let alone had I even bothered to check if our surroundings were free of enemies, some team leader I was.

"Oh well, ummm…." I stammered at a loss for words, unsure how to explain my own incompetence to the Director. Before I could make an ass out of myself any further, I heard someone's footsteps approaching us from our side. Mashu and I's attention shot towards the sound of the noise, was it an enemy? I unslung my rifle from my back and brought it up to my shoulder as I took aim, while Mashu raised her shield ready to attack. Soon however the person making the noise revealed themselves out to be Jeanne as she climbed the hill, towards us. I lowered my rifle upon seeing Jeanne, while Mashu did the same with her shield. Both of our shoulders also drooped upon seeing her, as I think we were glad that we wouldn't be facing an enemy this soon. As Jeanne approached us she had a neutral expression upon her face with her hand resting firmly on the hilt of her sword.

"The area is secure, Master, and I'm sensing no enemies close by." Jeanne reported as she came to a stop in front of us. I looked over Jeanne's shoulder to see if Scathach was behind her, but found no one. "Lancer is further up ahead scouting for enemies." Jeanne added, seemingly reading my thoughts.

"Ah I see, Thank you Jeanne for your report…" I said nodding my head gratefully, and Jeanne nodded her head in return. Jeanne had saved me from a lot of embarrassment just now even if she wasn't aware of it. "I'm glad you and Lancer are safe as well." I added.

"Well I'm glad at least someone in the group has their head on straight." Olga scorned. Even in a parallel universe, I could feel the Director's gaze burning into my skull right now. Not to say I didn't deserve it, the group's safety was in my hands. I shouldn't be so careless.

"Apologies Director, I won't let myself become distracted again." I said sincerely.

"See that it doesn't, carelessness cost lives." Olga warned.

"On that I am all too aware..." I murmured.

"Then shall we carry on?" Olga inquired.

"Yes of course Director." I said with a nod of my head.

"Oh by the way, is that…." Roman suddenly murmured. "Weren't the four of you supposed to be in Rome?" Roman inquired. The three of us once more looked around our surrounding area, before our eyes finally stopped on one another.

"Uh No Doctor, it would seem as If we're in the countryside." I replied.

"It is as Senpai says; we're currently standing atop a hill in the countryside." Mashu confirmed.

"That's strange…" Roman murmured. "I could have swore that I had confirmed the transfer point… Strange." Roman furthered murmured, seemingly caught up in his own thoughts right now. "...Either way it looks like you're located in a suburb of the Roman capital."

"Could you have perhaps input the wrong transfer point coordinates?" Olga inquired.

"Yes, does that mean that we're even in the correct era?" Mashu asked next.

"No, No. The time period is correct. There is no doubt that you are in the first century." Roman replied. "The fifth Roman emperor Nero Claudius is the current reigning emperor. That I am sure of." Roman said. The three of us glanced at one another looking less than reassured by the Doctor's words.

"Well let's hope you're right, for all of our sakes." I said.

"Yes I am." Roman said. "It's just so strange, how could I have missed the capital?" Roman pondered.

"Perhaps it was a failure on Doctor Da Vinci's part." Olga suggested.

"HEY! I resent such false accusations…." Doctor Da Vinci voice cried out before being cut short.

"No I don't think it was something to do with Doctor Da Vinci… I'll have to look into it later." Roman said. "Despite the poisoning of Empress Agrippina last year, Nero shouldn't be in his dangerously declining years yet." Roman went on to say. "An era where the emperor is loved and the city of Rome is prosperous… that's what should have been awaiting you." Roman said.

"No Doctor, there are only gently sloping hills. There aren't even any valuable sheep here." Mashu stated.

"There must be some reason for this. Do you see anything unusual in the surroundings?" Roman inquired.

"As I stated earlier Doctor, there is nothing to report." Jeanne interjected. "There is nothing out here but grasslands and some small homes which appear deserted."

"Ah yes my apologies Jeanne, I didn't mean to make it sound like I doubted your report." Roman apologized. "It's just that I'm still confused as to what went wrong." Roman murmured.

"Well we won't find out anything by just standing here." I stated.

"Quite right Operative, I suggest making your way towards the Capital." Olga said.

"Yes of course, that was the plan Director." I said.

"Then I'll leave you to it." Olga said. "As always we'll be monitoring your progress from here and offer assistance or guidance when needed." Olga reminded us. Although I think we were all pretty much aware at this point, three singularities in.

"Thank you Director. We'll be sure to call if we need you." I said. With that the Director and Roman went silent leaving us to the business at hand.

"So then Senpai, what shall we do first?" Mashu asked, facing me.

"First thing first is to get down this hill." I said before turning to face Jeanne. "Jeanne, you said Lancer was scouting out ahead?" I asked.

"Yes that's right; Lancer should be up ahead waiting for us." Jeanne said with a nod.

"Right, then let's be on our way. We'll regroup with Lancer and then make our way towards Rome." I said as I slung my rifle over my back. Mashu placed her shield on her back while Jeanne kept her hand on the hilt of her sword as they fell in behind me. With that we began our descent down the hillside; I kept my eyes peeled for any enemies on the ground… or the sky. Heaven forbid we start getting attacked by dragons this early into the singularity.

"Jeanne, I know you already gave your report…" I said looking over my shoulder. "But was there anything out of the ordinary, something that stuck out to you perhaps?" I asked.

"No, as I said earlier there was nothing worth noting." Jeanne replied.

"What about those houses you mentioned, you said they were empty?" I inquired.

"That's correct! I checked one of them out." Jeanne said. "The building was completely deserted, and it appeared as if the people who lived there had left in a hurry." Jeanne explained.

"Perhaps there is something out there that forced them to flee their home." I suggested.

"That would sense all things considered." Jeanne said. "Since we know there is something out there causing the singularity."

"Yes otherwise we wouldn't be here, but the only question then, is what is it?" I asked.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it caused them to flee in a hurry." Jeanne stated.

"What should we do Senpai?" I heard Mashu ask from behind Jeanne.

"For now all we can do is keep our eyes peeled." I directed. "Hopefully we might run into someone who can tell us what's going on." I added.

"Right." Jeanne and Mashu said in unison.

"By the way Jeanne, what happened to you and Lancer?" I asked and Jeanne tilted her head.

"What do you mean?" Jeanne asked in reply.

"Well you and Lancer weren't here when we arrived." I stated. "Did you wind up somewhere different than us?" I inquired.

"No, Lancer and I leyshifted in right beside you two." Jeanne said, shaking her head. "However as soon as Lancer and I arrived, we did as you instructed and secured the perimeter, making sure it was clear of any hostiles." Jeanne explained.

"Ah yes that's right, those were my instructions." I said looking forward as I scratched my head embarrassed at my forgetfulness.

Eventually the three of us reached the bottom of the hill where we looked around. We were greeted by more of the same at the bottom of the hill, surrounded by more empty grasslands with trees and rocks sprinkled across the landscape. I finally spotted Scathach not far from us, but it would seem as if Jeanne had already spotted her before I had. Jeanne was already heading in Lancer's direction and Mashu and fell in behind her. The three of us crossed the field heading towards Scathach at a jogging pace whilst hunched over to avoid detection. It didn't take long however before we came to a stop behind Scathach, who was crouched behind a rock. The three of us crouched down instinctively as we came to a stop. Scathach didn't face us as we came up behind her, and kept her eyes fixed forward.

"Lancer, report." I said as I knelt down next to Jeanne. Scathach initially didn't reply for a few moments and I was about to say something...

"...There's nothing to report. For there is nothing out here except for us and the birds." Scathach replied glaring at us out of the corner of her eyes.

"It's just as I told you earlier, we're the only ones out here." Jeanne said as she glanced at me.

"I'll take the birds any day over the dragons." I joked casting a humorous smile. Jeanne returned my smile with a faint smile of her own. "Wouldn't you agree Jeanne?" I asked.

"Yes I'll take seagulls any day." Jeanne replied and I chuckled. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Scathach roll her eyes, unamused.

"Still, it seems a bit strange for there to be nobody out here." Mashu said. "We are by what appears to be a road and you'd think there'd at least be traders or people." Mashu pointed out. Sure enough there was a dirt road that looked like it led along the coast line.

".. Quite right Mashu, for now let's keep our eyes peeled as I said." I stated. "And if we do see any people or armed men, please refrain from greeting them or shouting out to them. Especially in English." I added, casting a glance at Mashu. Mashu seemingly remembered our first encounter in France and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"... Apologies Senpai." Mashu said, bowing her head.

"I don't even know what they speak in Ancient Rome." Jeanne murmured. Upon hearing what Jeanne has said just now, it had dawned on me that in France the only people we had run into that could speak or understand English had been Jeanne, Alter Jeanne, and her group of servants. I don't know what a bunch of English and French speaking people were going to do in Ancient Rome.

"Neither do I…." I replied truthfully.

"They spoke Latin and Greek." Scathach spoke up, interrupting us. I glanced towards Scathach seeing her looking at us.

"I see…" I murmured. "I don't suppose anyone here speaks Latin or Greek?" I asked next, and unsurprisingly everyone shook their head in reply.

"I'm afraid not." Mashu replied.

"I can only speak French and English." Jeanne said.

"No." Scathach replied swiftly.

"Unfortunate." I murmured.

"What are we going to do if we run into anyone Senpai?" Mashu asked with a concerned expression on her face.

"I don't know. I doubt anyone speaks English in Ancient Rome." I stated.

"The earliest forms of English Language will not be established for another three to four hundred years." Scathach interjected. Upon hearing such daunting news, the group's mood turned sour.

"Thanks Professor…" I said, and Scathach cast me a glance of annoyance. "So I guess we're pretty screwed if we run into anyone." I said bluntly.

"That's less than reassuring Chris." Jeanne murmured.

"Cheer up Jeanne we'll think of something." I said reaching out and patting her on the shoulder. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." I added which earned me a faint smile from Jeanne and Mashu. "For now let's just make our way to Rome." I said as I placed my hand on my knees and slowly pushed myself off the ground. The others stood up as I made my way over towards the road and came to a stop. I looked out towards the sea and took a breath of the fresh air. Behind me I heard Scathach, Jeanne, and Mashu fall in behind and soon they were standing beside me. The four of us now stood on the road with a full blown singularity waiting ahead of us. I'm sure the days ahead would be hard and filled with conflict. Despite all that, I was confident though that we would pull through just like last time. "Let's head off then, shall we?" I suggested.

"Do you even know the way?" Scathach asked, crossing her arms with narrowed eyes. I turned and faced her with an amused smile.

"Well as they say, all roads lead to Rome."

* * *

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